Cosmic Waltz
by AngelicChrishu
Summary: Taking place one year after The Resistance, it begins with a bang, and slowly escalates into a tale of monolithic proportions. Is the principle of Cosmic Duality true? Is Laeryn undeniably angsty? Find it all out in this amazing tale of love and destiny!
1. The Summertime Breeze

Phantasy Star: Cosmic Waltz, Level One: The Summertime Breeze

_ i So, what exactly would you say is real? I mean, you can wander around Ragol for ages and find nothing of value; no hope, no love. Nothing really matters in the end, isn't that how the song goes? I think it's just a fantasy, just an elaborate game with ridiculously high stakes. Either way, I feel like i'm caught somewhere I can't recognize, like a house of mirrors, or X's hair. Wherever it is, I can't escape it. It's just an infinite abyss. But for people who aren't me... Well, they only have to look to the sky, and they'll find their way. It's about vision, not sight, you know. /i _

"You're way too slow, geezer!" A familiar voice rang out into the Jungles of Gal Da Val, taunting it's opposition like a stranded Hyena. The leaves of the trees rustled about as a bespectacled FOmar tried to track the coalescing chaos that was Nyreal Destiny's mind. The FOmar's red hair blew in the playful breeze caused by the Wind Waker's (Kekeke) tauntingly weak provokations. "Just attack! C'mon!"

"There's four of you out there. If I shot one, then the other three would jump me. Damn Naruto Neko-fiend." The FOmar in brown pushed up his glasses with the butt of one of his Yasminkov Customs. Say, didn't Yas die a long time ago? How the hell are those things custom-made? Sage is a freaking haxxor. But I digress, Jonas Sage, one the great heroes of the Zionus incident, was in a rather obvious conundrum. "Dammit Ny. We were going to fight i _without /i _the special moves of megadeath!"

"That's a lie," the synchronous, indignant voices rang from multiple parts of the trees, stressed with their constant motion, "You're always reading my moves. It's like a built-in godmode hack. With Grand Dream on there's lots more to do telepathically. I just have to wait until you resign to defeat."

_ i Rawr. /i _ Sage thought aloud. Is it literally him thinking out loud when we can hear his thoughts as he hears ours? Or are we hearing his filter when he speaks, hearing him thinking aloud, even if it's mental speaking? i _Oh. Of course. Telekinesis. /i _

The sun's rays burned fiercely on Sage's body, his knees cold from the running water of the near-waterfall stream. It felt like his possessed oven had caught him in it's door while in the midst of frying a Rappy. The green one was definately his target. Green Nyreal was a freaking idiot. One time had even ran into a tree while attempting to criticize Sage's mother. He'd be the best to grab and fling into the other four. Definately. Sage's telepathy caught a broadcast signal of idiocy--something about LUE being an intelligent forum for the developed minds of educated individuals--coming from a rock near the gate to the next area. His corporeal fist intercepted Green Nyr's path of motion and hoisted him into the sky. "HEY! Let me down you freakishly smart bastage!"

"No." Sage began to spin him around, his mental hand acting as a centrifuge to the insane motion. Green Nyreal felt as if he was going to puke as Sage spun him faster and faster, all the while waiting for his opportunity. By the time GN's spinning had reached it's peak, Sage had found his chance: All Nyreal's were about to converge and attack. Sage cried out as he released Idiot Nyr into the other three Ny Incarnates, crashing into the group with a fleshy "Thud". The team of Nyreals fell into the river and, with a flash of golden light and green wisps, became one once more.

Nyreal looked upon his cloaked form and would have rubbed his cranial injury, but Sage was smart enough to not give Nyreal any room to breathe. Sage took careful telekinetic aim with his mechs and fired like a noob with a God/Battle: ludicrously fast. Nyreal spun out of the way, shocked, but as he turned a bullet managed to cut the skin of his left arm. Nyreal only had time to raise Shouin Lumiere as a guard for the explosive shells of Sage's next barrage. i _Onetwothreefourfivesix NOW! /i _Nyr followed his own instructions and charged Sage as he reloaded in preparation for another barrage. Sage loaded his last shell while Nyreal jumped into the air and swung his blade downwards.

_ i Ka-KING! /i _

Nyreal pressed his sword to Sage's throat; One of Sage's Yas's pressed against Nyreal's temples, while it's twin guarded from a downward cut of the Shouin Lumiere. It was a stalemate.

"Good match, Sage." Nyreal said, breaking the intense focus and sheathing his sword on his hip. "I need to kill that idiot side of me. He always manages to screw my plans."

"It's not going to go away." Sage replied, wiping off his brown robe. "Not as far as you're concerned, anyway."

Nyr glared at Sage, his hands twitching on the hilt of the Zanba on his back. "I'd kill you, but I need your mental advice. Before this whole match got started, I wanted to ask you about how I could control the Shouin Lumiere more effectively. I mean, it's all mentally controlled, the vacuum creation and oxygenation and such, and I figured you could help, considering that you have little else i _but /i _ your head to fight with."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," Yasminkovs with hacked 100 hit were placed back into their yellow capsules. "As far as controlling attacks with your mind goes, it's best to use them sparingly. The mind is a muscle, and overuse is just as deadly as it would be to, say, your tools. It's best to take things slow at first, and as you train more and more you'll get stronger."

"Overuse is only deadly where Lorna is involved. But anyway, thanks for the help. It's time for me to go take a nap." Nyreal piped up out of the VR and headed home.

Nyreal was, to be blunt, ing bored. Too much time had passed since the last good job, or the last good fight with Light. It had been a little over one year after Zionus' Rise and Fall, and since then, Pioneer 2 had entered an era of Warm Fuzzies, where joy had reigned and everyone felt the need to loveth one's brother. i _I mean, this kind of utopia is good, but it's just so boring! That, and I haven't found anything cool in ages. /_i Nyr thought this as he opened the door to his apartment, kicking aside stacks of books and video game cases on his path to his bedroom. He popped open two red capsules and used Foie to weld them to the far wall away from his TV, to match a row of similarily shaped swords. "Ha! Just three more of these accursed sheathed things and I'll be able to panel my wall!" He turned and looked out at his humble abode: the word Trashed came to mind instantly. The walls were still waaay to small, even for one person. The kitchen was the only large room in the house, at roughly three times the size of his bedroom, but for Nyreal, THAT was way too small. He had thought about buying a new apartment, but his "Hero" status was wiped away by the Great Light's Great Coverup. That meant that noone in their right mind would ever give Nyreal a home loan. He could pay with cash, but mansions on Coral City were roughly 2 Million Meseta, which meant he could only get one by never getting knocked out. But even then, he'd owe the broker two whole bucks, which meant killer taxes and late fees would ensue the following month. But it's not like it would have made a difference: Nyreal was broke. (Too many games, too much take-out)

He stopped momentarily and used his big toe to switch on his PS333, the warm-up and start-up time of which was conveniently somewhere around 15 minutes. Just enough time for a shower, Nyr thought lackadaisically.

Somewhere in the desert, inside of an ancient Ruin, a newly-tanned RAmarl was fkeeing rapidly down the steps, her precious cargo bundled in the crisped remains of her robe, leaving only her white RAmarly uniform underneath. But... Why? Well, there was an idol. Of a Rappy. Rolling towards her at a ridiculous speed. Light's freshly-burned skin felt slow and constraining, which was definately not helping her mad dash out of dodge. She could feel herself slowing down, simply due to the fact that "I'VE BEEN RUNNING AT FULL SPEED FOR AN HOUR!". Still, when the rolling rappy reached up to rub against her ass, Light i made /i speed. Tears of frustration streamed from her eyesockets. Like This: TT "AAAHHHHH! I don't wanna die I don't see why this whole dungeon has to be so freaking crazy when will this ever stop I wasn't being selfish was I I mean I just wanted these rare Burst items I can't see why the ancient dudes who made this place are so insistent on not letting me do what I want, you agreeeeeee?" She rubbed her phoney tears off her face.

"ACK! I'VE BEEN CRYING IN FRENCH!" Light turned another corner in the musty dungeon, her vision nebulous from millenias worth of undisturbed dust, and the occasional giant spider web. As she broke through a web of one such specimen in her frantic escape attempt, she caught a beam of light out of the corner of her eye, and she used the last of her energy reserves to try and locate the source. She found it in her next right turn, but Light's feet couldn't understand what her eyes knew, and she tripped over, her legs cramping and pulsating--utterly useless. "... Bastard Rappy." Light shifted into her Astral Form, her scarf and outfit flowing outward in the gleaming energy she was giving off. Light lifted her Heaven's Punisher and fired a single shot. No more Rappy! It exploded in a maelstrom of simulated granite guts. Light cracked a Trifluid over her wounded legs, letting the nanobots do their job as she stood up and exited out the last two feet of the Ruin. It was high noon in the sand dune, but Light didn't care about weather, not when Rares were at stake! When she had stolen them from the Temple Altar, Light didn't have too much time to examine her finds. When she saw her haul, she was stunned. Spaztic, even! She called her team to meet her in the Desert town of Rumena immediately. Something KEWL had come up. b b

Sye threw his Elysion into the head of a Pal Rappy. He removed his blade and lit it ablaze with a restrained Foie. "Woot. I get to eat Pal stew again tonight. Last time I had to eat this for dinner, I ended up with pieces of an Angel Harp inside me." He prepared his stomach for the worst (Agito, right in the lower intestine!). But, luckily for him, his PDA nearly vibrated his FOnewm bubble butt out of his none-too-flattering pants. The comforting vision of a suspiciously perky Light popped up on the screen, once he let it ring once or twice. She spoke quickly, and if he didn't know better (Which he did), then it would seem like she was very, very aroused: "OMG U Guys! I've been blowing apart this ancient temple for the past three weeks or so, and I just found the coolest things ever! I think they're weapons made by the ancient inhabitants of this planet! But, I need your guys' help for analysis. Get over to the new colony of Rumena immediately! This is your sexy comrade Light, over and out!" She finished her video message with a mock salute, then a joking laugh. Sye knew that tone: She had found rares. Sye headed towards the nearest teleporter he knew, leaving the burning chicken to burn.

A few minutes later, A HUnewearl named Sange came and used Gibarta to extinguish the flames that were eating the Rappy's carcass. Inside the corpse of the bird was a katana, which Sange promptly removed from the bird. On the side of the sheath it read "Model AUW 1975". She put it in the nearest tourist trash incinerator, and the sword was destroyed insantly.

The next morning, JiEin made his way along the path that the other two Hunters had followed, and upon noticing the charred Rappy, he remarked, "Good thing it didn't have my Agito..."

Mint looked around in the darkness. He was dazed, confused, and he felt slightly i drained /i . Okay, inventory and synopsis. He had just woken up. It was dark. Dark as in no light whatsoever. He felt what seemed to be a dry erase computer board with his foot. There was a girl on him. She was kissing him wildly, though Mint knew that it wasn't that that woke him up. His ass vibrated again. "OH! That's right!" Mint got up in a flash, inadvertently pushing the girl off of him. "Oh. Someone sent me a message." Mint didn't even notice! .-. "Oooh, Light! Cool. I wonder what's up?" He sat through her message, and had come to a conclusion: "Light found some rares..."

Minty boy walked out of the room with his shirt and his leather jacket slung over his back, since he had only barely managed to get his pants on, thanks to the fervored efforts of whoever had pinned him to the table during his nap. He had tripped over three desks in the process of exiting the room, and when he reached the doorway his waist slammed into a pencil sharpener. The pain in the general thigh area reminded him of what had happened before he took his little HUnewm nap. "Oh... That's right. That freaky lady only taught me to avoid women who chew gum..." Mint exited the room, and saw the crimson flushed face of an innocently cute young boy in a black school uniform. Poor child couldn't have been more than 11. Mint caret-smiled and pushed the boy into the Lion's Den (Classroom).

_ i I wonder if that kid learned alot? /i _

Nyreal walked out of the shower, nakie except for the towel he was using to dry off his hair. He was beginning to like his new haircut, as it fit his personality more than the straight-hair look did. His new 'do was messy, it ended just below his armpits, and it's color was nearly indigo, instead of his usual purple. And, for reasons he couldn't understand, ever since his battle with Laeryn, a lock of hair in front of his face had been bright green. For the year since then, it had grown in that one color in that one lock on the right side of his face, as if it had always been that way. Must be a side effect of Grand Dream Light Rouzeki, Nyreal had imagined. Ny-Ny tied his towel around his waist, and sat on the couch in front of his game, oddly named Rise of Zionus. He was playing as X Launcher, since he was the hero of the story. _ i This game is a bit too precise as far as the events of one year ago are concerned... I guess you can't just supress memories? /i _After an hour or so of training on Seraphs, hunting a Masamune, Nyreal was bored. "Gah! I'm so glad I don't have a conduit. Demon Roar is so slow to cast... I wonder if I could hax X a Shouin Lumiere?" Before he could break out his AR333, the PDA in his pants started beeping, so naturally he paused in the middle of X's trash talking cutscene to go and grab it. While bending over to pick up his pants, he slipped on the wet floor. "DAMMIT! OWW! Oy..." His hand shaking from shock, Nyr removed his PDA from his backpocket (What is with these folks? Are they into butt vibes or something?), and he watched Light's message. He was about to turn it off and return to haxxxing his weapon of choice, but there was a special message for Nyreal's eyes only: Light was standing near an isolated Oasis, smiling in the sun, half naked.

"I'm soooo hot!" Apparently, she was hot, as the message b was /b recorded in the desert. Nyreal fainted.

Next Time On Phantasy Star: Cosmic Waltz!

Nyreal: I need more fanservice.

Light:You'll get yours later! Right now, you need to get your ass over here to HELP ME!

Laeryn: You'll be glad to know that the next chapter has nothing to do with them. It's about me. And a little babe named Arcadia.

Arcadia: You know... We'd probably get more readers if we gave them some fanservice, don't you think Laeryn?

Laeryn: Strip in front of me and I'll strand you in a room with Mint and X Launcher, with noone around to save you for a thousand miles.

Arcadia: Aww!

:Level 2: White Ash:

Light: And of course, next time we'll have more... Fanservice.

Just not from me. Keep dreaming, boys! 3


	2. And Be Ash

Level 2: And be ash...

_ i Darkness... I am... Who am I? Am I darkness, or is the darkness me?This black, inky feeling, it takes over my senses and consumes my spirit... I wonder if this is what those pathetic humans, those Lilim, call fear? No, this feeling is much more than fear. When it's in me, I sense nothing else; I feel as though I can reach the truth to this existance, this life, somehow... Yet, in this haze, I cannot breath. It's not clear at all, and yet it is the only path to Nirvana. It defines me, this cold void of feeling. The darkness is in me and I am entirely of it, yet I AM it at the same time. Am I unique, or am I a part of some design? What am I here for? Who am I? What am I supposed to do now? /i _

Down on Ragol, in Coral City; Luxury District.

Laeryn Moira stared out of the window and into the driving rain, the coffee mug in his hands heating up his flesh. Another new sensation. He sat in a brown, floating photon chair that was placed to overlook the sunrise. It was raining; the sun wouldn't be coming up today, Lae remarked with significant bemusement. There was a chair across from his, still photon, but white. The carpet of the flat was also white, along with the kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms. The entire apartment was white. That color is a hypocrisy, Laeryn thought, how can it be the absence of color, and yet the embodiment of light? He also heard a soft piano playing in the background with the weak patter of the rain; neoMAX, he believed that was the title. "How foolish... Lilim are still incapable of taking credit for their achievements as a whole; they're too concerned with the issues of their identities. Titles, names, distinguishments... The products of a weak mind, don't you agree, Miss Arcadia?"

A Newman girl sauntered into the Laeryn's sitting room with her own coffee mug. Unlike Laeryn, she was holding it by the handle, avoiding the heat of the drink. "... I... Guess so..." The Newman girl, Arcadia, sat next to the Dark Haired FOmar, her posture and expression a mixture of tense lemonade and fresh, clean rain. Attraction, of course. Arcadia was slowly growing to like _( i Really like... /i ) _her darkly cool houseguest. Her only qualm was... Well... "Laeryn... About last night..."

"What?" His dark and rather classy voice broke throught the calming applause of the rain. Rain really does sound like a stadium full of people, all clapping and applauding... And for reasons Laeryn couldn't yet fathom, rain made him want to cry. In his mind, rain was cruel, especially if it was supposed to sound like a sea of joyful Lilim. But why?

"It's just... I'm not sure..." Arcadia crossed her legs and looked at the floor, her large, round glasses slipping downward to the tip of her nose. "Was it really necessary to..." She hesitated again. Laeryn was just about the only friend she had ever had, why would she want to question what he did? _ i I need more training with shooting and with people... /i _She thought sullenly, her eyes still glued to the floor. Her grip on her coffee cup weakened.

"To what, kill them?" Laeryn snarled, his blood red eyes viciously framing his vampiric fangs. "Yes. I did see it necessary. They were TRASH, Arcadia. Consider it a credit to the undeserving Human race that I removed such filth from their gene pool."

"They were people!" Arcadia stood up, her haste and fervor causing her to push her cup onto the floor, where the brown liquid stained the otherwise taint-free carpet.Tears fell down her face as she began to remember the trauma. "They... Those men... They didn't deserve to die, Laeryn!"

Laeryn stood up and held Arcadia by the shoulders. When she couldn't meet his eyes, he took his left hand and held her head in place for her. "Arc. They were going to rape you, beat you, and kill you. Those bastards were going to make you ** b suffer /b **.It was either them or you. Did you deserve to die? No. Did they deserve to live? No. Like I said, they were pathetic wastes of carbon. It was ** b fun /b **,Arcadia. I enjoyed killing them!" He was screaming at this point, and he soon after loosened his grip, realizing that the damage was done. Arcadia sank to the floor, weeping. Fog mired her glasses and her vision.

"They... I don't... No..." She was weeping on her knees, her forehead pressed to the ground, her tears staining the carpet. The exotic smell of fresh coffee drifted into her lungs. She turned and saw dried mocha through the fog of her tears. The pale, rusty brown that had scarred her carpet looked slightly like dried blood...

Laeryn was sitting in the VIP room of a club in Coral City. It was midnight outside, and the party around him was just beginning. The VIP room was situated above the club, so that visitors could still see the psychadellic main floor of the club, where individuals dressed in glowing clothing and accessories danced among lights brighter and more neon than their clothing. Laeryn was sitting on a loveseat, with two vapid blondes hugging his arms excitedly (Though that was their job, of course), while Laeryn simply let them hug him, showing no initiative to be at all interested in them. A table with "party favors" was located in the middle of the room. Lae noticed that the twins who had been smothering him smelled faintly of most of the items in the tray. Due to the tinted nature of the VIP Room windows, none of the common party-goers could see into the room. Which, as far as Laeryn was concerned, was perfectly fine. "Those Lilim... They don't need to fear my presence. Not until they can know true suffering..." The twin girls in Bunny outfits (Provided by the club out of hospitality) both chimed in at Laeryn's statement:

"What do you mean, Lae-baby?" The Bunnies were either deaf from years of club music, or they weren't too bright. Their hearing wasn't impaired by the music outside, as the room was soundproofed, allowing only a slight measure of each song's pounding beat and tempo to pass through the private walls. Laeryn decided on the latter option.

"Nothing you need to concern yourselves with." He stared left, and saw the first twin blush among her already red face, the red was unknown to him, though she did seem to be a bit more... Free. At least, more than most Lilim. He attributed it to the unnatural scent of her breath matching the same artificial smell as the goods on the table. The girl on the right had the same exact facial expressions and the same scent, so he attributed her odd behavior to that cause as well. "Well... I'm sure you girls will be able to enjoy yourselves without me." Laeryn removed his limp arms from their grip, and walked out of the room to find his host. He couldn't stand the idea of staying there any longer with those _unnatural_ women. Laeryn figured that companionship would allow him to understand his new human form, since his new body tended to crave it, but not a forced and imprisoning relationship. Laeryn realized that, though his newly discovered loneliness took over his mind at times, he could embrace his more difficult emotions for a time, if it meant a greater payoff. i _What did the Lilim name this principle? /i _ He pondered as he tapped the door to open, then the realization hit him as he passed into the hallway i _That's right. It's Choosing the Lesser of Two Evils. /i _

"When you walk away, you don't hear me say, please... Oh baby, don't go..." Even with his deep voice, Laeryn managed to pull of classical music with ease as he walked down the hallway. Where the hell was his host?

"You know, that song doesn't suit you at all..." A Ramar spun a lock of his silvery hair around his fingers, smiling as he emerged from the inky blackness of the Club's Backstage area. He smiled, his unseen hand on a hidden Ophelie Seize in his pocket. "I'd simply guess that you were the type to sing songs of a more... Dark variety. _ i Kom Süsser Tod /i _ and all that._"_

Laeryn looked at this guest with a look of slight confusion, "What's that supposed to mean? Kom Süsser Tod?"

"Oh, it's something you need not concern yourself with, Laeryn. It's much too early in your lifetime for you to be contemplating the nature of DEATH, of all things."

"Oh really, Zaziel? Then what should I be concerned with?" Laeryn, instead of using his progenitor's trademarked cocky grin, glared at Zaziel with furious intensity.

Zazie smiled, his obvious vanity becoming apparent in his blindingly bright teeth, ignoring the nature of Laeryn's response. "Oh, don't worry my friend. Just be concerned with living, for the time being. There's so much wonder in life, like myself! You can't pass up the beauty of Zaziel, along with the beauty of life!" After he said those words, a pale Newman with dully flaming hair came out from the same darkness where Zazie originated from. Her hair reminded Laeryn somewhat of a Phoenix.The Newman girl was poring herself over a digital data board, which Zaz quickly snatched from her and looked over. "Oh... I'm sorry, my esteemed guest, but I have some business to interrogate... ERM, I mean _ i attend /i _to." Zaz turned to his assistant and adressed her with a tone of absolute authority, "Arcadia."

The Newman Girl looked up at her employer almost instantly, and responded with a serious, "Yes, sir?" Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Laeryn staring at her with a rare expression of wonder. Arcadia blushed, and turned her head the opposite direction of Laeryn while asking her second question, "What is it that you need?"

Zaziel chuckled deeply, his face breaking into his usual, affectated smile. "Aww. You're so polite. It's almost cute. Hmph, too bad I pick my assistants on skill, not looks. Stop trying to please me, it won't work." He said it with a surprising handle on his politely social voice.

Laeryn thought, _ i "Almost? I believe the proper expression in that situation would be, 'Your manner is very becoming, I enjoy being around you...'" /i _Did he, though? He found that he was impaired by the sight of this strange girl. There was just something about her manner, like he said. "Uhm..."

"Oh, of course." Zaz looked at the impaired Laeryn with a sideways glance, and then excused himself. "I have to be going now. Arcadia, show our guest to the armory, will you? I'm sorry I couldn't be there to show it to you, but I have a little bit of a gift for you in there. Consider it... Your birthright." Zaziel smiled, flipped his waist-length hair, and turned away from his associates, humming as he left to maim, kill, destroy, and torment. Zaz really liked that phrase; actually, it was his motto. Laeryn called BS on that one: _ i What kind of dance club has an armory? /i _

When their company had completely exited from the room, Arcadia turned and stared at Laeryn directly, which she found rather odd; she wasn't one to check anyone out, and she was equally surprised when this man stared back at her. She noticed that, through his robe, he seemed to be rather fit, and his shoulder length black hair was neatly combed; it framed his dark face perfectly. And the fact that his red eyes seemed to- no, they i _did /i _ glow in the pitch black hallway, and this only added to the mystique of this stranger. Arcadia attempted to realize her most charming smile through her bright red face, but to no avail. Then she tried words: "Uh... Uh... Um... Here, c-Shall we...?" Well, at least she could manage some form of useful speech. She had surpassed her own expectations! She walked towards the armory, still red enough to act as a beacon for wayward ships at sea. He followed her around several corners, the beat of the club a long-forgotten memory.

Laeryn did some checking out of his own, though, due to the fact that he's a man, what he thought can't be stated here. Arcadia's hair was dark vermillion in the blackness of the hallway, and Lae was almost certain that her hair was a dull fire when in brighter environs. Laeryn noticed how the glasses added a level of intelligence. _ i But then again, i'm not stupid enough to allow her the benefit of the doubt. /i _ Behind her glasses, Arcadia possessed remarkably deep blue eyes, like the border the author sees when he stares at the start bar of his computer, or, more accurately, the sky after a rainy day, or simply the waters of the ocean. They were... _ i Peaceful, and remarkably pure for someone in this day and age... /i _

After a classic eternity of long, awkward silence, Arcadia had finally lead Laeryn to the Armory. Once there, Arcadia led him to a nondescript salmon colored door. She fumbled with the ring of keys in her hand. Despite the seemingly vacant look, Laeryn sensed something... There was a feeling in that room; it seemed to reflect the empitness in his soul. Darkness, oblivion... Death crouched silently behind the veil of darkness that room supplied. "Say. Arcadia." She turned to him and smiled. "Have you ever been afraid? Truly, utterly terrified... So much that you can't move, or think, or even breathe? I don't understand... What do you do in that kind of situation...?"

She saw it in his eyes. Laeryn looked like a child who was scared of the dark. Though, on the outside, he was 22, the look in his eyes belied his age. i Now... What would Mom have said in this situation? /i Arcadia turned to him and hugged him, burying her head in his chest. "Well... It's simple. Never run away. Stay here with me and face whatever might be scaring you. Humans are weak on their own, and that's why we're social creatures. We all need a little help." Laeryn looked down on Arcadia, a blush creeping out of his pale skin.

"Let go of me." He broke her embrace and, pushing her aside, protectively motioned for her to stand in back of him. Of course, she complied, hugging her arms to make up for Laeryn's lost warmth. Once she was safely out of the way, Laeryn placed his hands on the door in front of him, summoning his Technique energy into his hands. A purple gleam of coalescing darkness shone around his hands, similar to D-Cell energy; the power of his attack amplified, and Laeryn smiled. "You come on to strong! What if I was a rapist or a murderer? Be more careful..." The entire door began to glow with black light, "But then again, if being scared means i'm human, then i'll always face my fears!" The door burst off it's hinges, leaving an open passage to his "future".

"You're welcome? But you didn't have to asplode the door y'now..." XX

The room was, as Laeryn thought, a reflection of his soul. It was dark, and it was cold. In the center of the room, there was a dais, and on the dais was a pedestal with... "Arcadia. Is this what we're here for?" Another call of Bull: _ i What kind of man makes a room for one weapon, and then gives the weapon away? /i _

She stepped up to the pedestal, examining Zaziel's note, which was complete with a drawing of himself. "He says that it's called 'Fueki Tenebres', which means Absolute Darkness when read in Japanese and French, respectively."

Laeryn stepped up to the weapon, examining it's form through the purple photon field that surrounded it. It was, in all variants and meanings of the word, calamitous. It's blade was black, and the hilt was red, and Laeryn surmised that it was originally white. There were no extra accoutrements on the weapon, unlike the Shouin Lumiere's windy and airy hilt that extended about 1/3 of the blade. This sword was longer than most, and the only similarity it shared with Shouin Lumiere was that it was also a double-edged straight sword.

He looked. And he liked.

"Let's call it Absolute Darkness instead. Multiple meanings and languages for something as simple as this are futile. I mean, you would hardly be able to pronouce the name before I killed you with it!" He laughed, as if that sick joke was hilarious. He picked up the blade, testing it out on an invisible opponent. "It feels like it were an extension of my arm... How nice." Laeryn decided that, bad karma or not, he would keep this. The sheath, which was placed right above the blade on the pedestal, seemed to be covered in scriptures and vajras, as if they would keep the sword from causing a major catastrophe. Well, I suppose they failed, didn't they? "Let's go."

Laeryn - nyreaL

Nyreal - laeryN

Lol.

Since Arcadia was bound to the well-being of Laeryn, she took him to her office after they had obtained Laeryn's weapon. He had been playing with the sheath the entire way there, opening and closing it as if it were a child's toy. All the while he was giggling to himself, again as if the prosepect of death was exciting to him. She entered the room, and let out a sigh of relief. Her shoulders nearly fell off her body as she removed her jacket and hung it on the rack by the door. Laeryn immediately sat down on one of two red chairs that were placed to the left of the entrance. Before she sat down, Arcadia gasped and hopped over the fron tsection fo her desk to the business end. After a few minutes of rummaging through her i _highly organized_ /i desk (it resembled a mass grave, actually), Arcadia piled several disheveled documents onto the chair next to Laeryn. "ACK!" Overdue paperwork is obviously an ACK situation. "I'm sorry Laeryn, but... Uh... Gotta motor! I need to deliver some overdue paperwork, but i'll be right back after that, okay?"

Laeryn nodded. "Yeah. Go ahead. Don't hurry on my account; it's warm in here."

Arcadia picked up the papers and ran out the door; she ran a bit like a FOmarl. As she ran, Laeryn noticed a small S-Rank Pistol with a long barrel attached to her waist. A... RAnewearl...?

_ i Hey... She left her jacket here. Moron. /i _ Laeryn grabbed the jacket sighing, and walked out the door while dusting off white specs from his black and red robe.

Arcadia's office was located backstage of the club, near a doorway that led into an alley between four respective companies, all of which were owned by Zaziel Naminara. Due to the nature of her job as Zaziel's assistant, she did alot of running back and forth between the four monolithic corporations. They were placed in a four square pattern, with one corporation in each section. It was odd, though, Arcadia runimated as she ran from the club, over to the farthest company, Unlimited Space Ltd, how Zaziel had managed to build the four companies in such a short amount of time. It had only been twelve months since "Mechanical Errors" had ripped apart a good percentage of Pioneer 2, and yet his once-small businesses had grown at phenomenal rates, even though Ragol's economy was in a recession. Arcadia wasn't stupid, she knew that her overlarge salary was coming from _ i something /i _that was slightly on the wrong side of the mind. And about Pioneer 2's computer failures... Arcadia was the head of the recovery team that was responsible for salvaging the once-proud remains of Mintaka, Vega, and Antares. Being Zaziel's assistant didn't just mean filing his paperwork and fetching tea. She was told to report nothing of her crew's findings to the media, on pain of death (Zaziel so slyly implied). That in itself wasn't overly suspicious. Freedom of the Press would cause riots, and potentially a regime change. Thusly, it was obvious that Freedom of the Press had to be banned. But then again, what were the victims to do, wander around wondering why their loved ones had disappeared? That aside, at first it seemed like just a normal salvage mission. Then she noticed something rather odd... Instead of there being holes and twisted metal pointing _ i outward i _, as one might expect from life support failures and oxygen explosions, there was one point of entry, one giant HOLE that appeared to be made by a giant photon blast. There was also photonm residue and markings inside each ship indicative of a battle. _ i No... It wasn't a battle /i , _Arcadia Funaho told herself_, i Not a battle at all... Stepping on ANTS is more accurate. /i _

Then she heard something.

Arcadia turned, her innate fear of the dark instilling paranoia. She tried to convince herself that it was water dripping (It HAD been raining for the past few days), but then the noises became more and more powerful, filling the air with wet taps. If they were people, then there had to be several of them... The complete lack of visibility didn't help. She equipped her God Hand from around her stack of work, just in case. The halfglove did give her a heightened sense of security, though. She also began to walk backwards, surveying for any movement that was human shaped. The constant wet flops still refused to cease. She continued backwards until she hit something in her way... It was flabby, too much unlike a wall, and it was also moving. She didn't need to read to find out what would happen next, so she dropped her stack of papers and did a cartwheel in the air, aiming for the head of the fatty wall with her foot. Arcadia knew she had connected when the presence behind her grunted and made a sick crunching sound into the wall to her left, at which point she took her Wondershot from its holster and fired a gleaming golden shot at the wall to her now left (She had turned to face her other possible assailants ), with her eyes shut. Arcadia confirmed her worst fears when she heared several shouts of " MY EYES!" and "UGH!" emanating from the space in front of her. Though her eyes were closed, she could feel the light behind her closed eyelids as if it were the light of day. Sunstone, es.

Then she felt something huge and strong grasp onto her hair and fling her against the same wall to where she had blasted her Wondershot at. When she met the concrete of the palisade, the wind was knocked out of her body when her left shoulder and head hit the wall at about six feet from the floor. Her prone form slid down the wall as if she were Jell-O, and rested on the ground. She tried to open her eyes, nothing. She figured that she had a concussion. Arcadia attempted to bring herself up on her left arm, but to no avail. She had heard a "POP" when she hit the wall, so she figured that she'd have to snap it back in at a later date. If there was going to be a later date. Her eyes were still shut, but she could feel at least four large presences surround the space in front of her. There was a snicker among the crowd.

Then a voice, riddled with spit, Whiskey, and ignorance, rang out in her mind, "Yahoo! Look what we've got here, boys! Fresh meat! I knew the boss wouldn't let us down with this one!" She felt a hand move slowly upwards from her ankles; a hand which she quickly snapped with both of her legs. "Jim-boy, you never did have a way with the ladies..." Arcadia still couldn't manage to bring words out of her mouth... She screamed, her mouth was wide open, waiting to accept speech, but it wouldn't come. It was as if she had a blockage of sand in her throat, completely blocking her words... Her voice... And her hope.

"So Boss-mayn, whadda we gunna do wif 'er?" A sound (Of Kentucky Fried Chicken) rang out to the right of her.

"Wayl, I believe we're going to have fun, just as the Big Boss intended us to!" Handcuffs were promptly placed around her ankles and hands, and she felt a squeezing lack of blood in her lowest and highest extremities. "Hee hee hoo!" The leader's voice rocked back and forth, laughing at his hysterical joke. Arcadia, despite the futility in her efforts, continued to scream without a voice. She felt something cold and hard--a knife--press against her exposed midsection. The blade continued up her skin, touching, but not cutting, it's way up to the base of her shirt. As you would expect a rapist to do, he grabbed the top of her already barely-existant shirt and, using leverage, cut it open with one swift motion, freeing her pale breasts from their paltry confinement. The hemms and haws from the crowd above her faded out into oblivion, as the voices in her head gave rise to a more important conversation...

_ i I don't want to die... I have to much to live for! I can't die here... I haven't lived enough! /i _

** b But isn't this what you always wanted? To die? It'll be a nice end to your pathetic life! /b **

_ i My life isn't pathetic... I'm not really pathetic... /i _

** b YES IT IS! Noone loves you! You're completely alone in this life, Arcadia! /b **

_ i No! I... I won't be able to meet the people I can make happy if I die... /i _

** b What happiness? You can only hurt people! You're USELESS! /b **

_ i No! That's... Not... ALRIGHT! Maybe it is true, but how will I ever know if I give up now? I'm weak, and I'm pathetic, I know, but if I keep trying... Maybe I won't hate myself anymore. I'll keep on living for the people of Pioneer 2, for love, for peace, and for... /i _

"LAERYYYYYYYYYYYN!" Her voice finally broke through the haze, and she screamed out her determination for all the world to hear. Her vision had also returned, and she suddenly felt very cold as her mind slowly returned to consciousness. But, as if summoned, she felt her jacket fall onto her now-completely bare skin. She was glad that she had sprung for the model that covered past her waist (o.o;). After the initial relief of having her old friend, she noticed that on the jacket was a small note in glowing photon pen, and it read: "They did nothing to you but remove your clothing. Just let me do the work."

Noticing the commotion, the leader of the four hitmen (Whose face was elongated, with teeth of negligible upkeep), smiled at her. "Oh... Who's this Laeryn, your little girlfriend? Hee hee heee hawhaw!" That sickening, disgusting mouth... Arcadia wanted to rip it off, but she still found herself immobile, despite regaining her senses.

Then a darkly elegantly cool voice reverberated off the partitions of the alley: "No, you pathetic Lilim. ** b _I _am Laeryn! /b **"

To the leader's left, he saw a hand burst out of his comrade's chest in a river of blood, the hand was claw-like and brutally savage, with all of its fingers tense and twisted. He saw the heart of his friend in the palm of the hand. This was quickly burst by Laeryn's hand, and his arm was then retreated, leaving one man dead.

"Now... Enjoy my Brilliant NIGHTMARE!" There was a purple flash in the dark, and the two remaining flunkies burst apart, their blood and innards now colored a brilliant ephemeral purple, staining the walls with their uselessness.

The leader of the gang fell backwards onto his rear, and retreated on his ass until he hit the opposing wall. Sensing his fate, the man clutched his arms around his knees, rocking back and forth frantically. Laeryn approached slowly, his red eyes piercing the soul of his victim. Amidst frantic babble, Laeryn made out the phrase "Who... Who... What... Are you...?"

"That's a very good question," Laeryn said, slicing off a piece of _ i vital equipment /i _ with a devious grin. He laughed, but not a little boy's laugh, a darker hysterical laugh. It was terrifying, unstable... It seemed that that laugh was a harbringer of things to come. "I'm the _ i true /i _ descendant of Eve, of course. The one who assigns Destiny to you pathetic mortals! Or, since that may be too much for you to understand, simply call me ** b DEATH! /b **" Laeryn's left hand began to glow purple, and he grabbed Arcadia's attacker's head, slamming it into the wall, cracking his skull. He psionically focused the purple light, and used it to explode the limited contents of his victim's head on the wall.

Laeryn, unphased, wiped the blood and brains onto his robe, popping into a new purple and black robe from a spare capsule. He then picked up Arcadia's still naked body (By her back and the nape of her legs) and carried her back to her apartment, with directions courtesy of the BEE system.

In a dark, secluded computer room, Zaziel sat snickering over the events that transpired on a security camera. He stood, shot the computer and monitor he was watching, and left to perform more important matters.

Laeryn placed her in her bed, and conscientiously wrapped her in a spare robe of his so as not to get her white linens stained with blood, though she still found some dried on her lower lip when she awoke.

"Oh... Laeryn... You... Saved me... Thank you."

Blush inducing action involving lips

"This was probably the best place for you to recover, and I made sure that we weren't followed."

"You didn't stay up all night protecting me, did you?"

"..."

After Laeryn's little "proclaimation", he retreated to the kitchen. He sat huddled in a corner, a small tear escaping his physical and mental grasp. Arcadia came in soon after and hugged him from behind, and she enjoyed a good cry.

Next Time on Phantasy Star: Cosmic Waltz!

Nyreal: MAMA MIA! MAMA MIA!

Light: Galileo Figaro!

Mint: Magnificooooooooooo...

Nyreal: I'm just a poor boy nobody loves me...

Laeryn: He's just a poor boy from a poor family spare him his life from this monstrosity!

Nyreal: Easy come, easy go. Will you let me go?

Level 3: Bohemian Rhapsody

Light: Rainee...

Nyreal: Mother...


	3. Bohemian Rhapsody

Level 3: Bohemian Rhapsody

_ i So you think you can stone me and spit it my eye?_

_So you think you can love me and leave me to die!_

_Oh baby - can't do this to me baby..._

_Just gotta get out - just gotta get right outta here! /i _ -- For Freddy Mercury. Rest in Peace.

I'm not sure if whether or not my life has improved or worsened since the events of my childhood, nor am I sure that I've completely lost my mind. I know that I _ i am /i _ far different from others. I seem to have a tough time making friends, and socializing in general. I suppose I may be seen as a distant person by some... I tend to hear, even from my closest companions, that I'm a tough guy to read; they say that I stay away from people, and even unconsciously push them away. But, is it really that terrible a thing? The love I have for my friends is... Well, HELL, it's the most important thing in my life. If I can keep them safe and happy by staying away on some distant star, then isn't that what I should do? I don't normally sound like this, you know. Normally i'm happy, arrogant, and damn-near SEXY. But it's just that, lately, I've been wondering about if it's worth it to be happy... It's too much effort, isn't it? Everytime you feel like you have a good ride on life, it slaps you and asks for ten thousand Meseta.

Now, to be honest, I'm sure that there are a few psychiatrists and literary analysts who are already condemning my sanity, and they'll also condemn the following outburst: WHO GIVES A FLAMING ! Being depressed is a waste of time and effort. I'm only gonna get to live once, and why the HELL should I fritter it away on useless thoughts like depression? I don't need to reflect on this pitiful singular emotion! I've already decided that my life will be filled with happiness, not emo-ridden angst! Everyone becomes depressed, that's a fact I won't deny, but relegating your thoughts to something as limited as yourself... Well, that's stupid.

Planet Coral, Fourteen Years Ago.

It was raining again. It had been raining for a little over a week straight, actually. It's surprising how much I loved rain back then... I mean, there's just so many reasons to hate it. It obstructs your vision, kills your sense of smell,and even gets in the way of hearing. Along with that, it mires anything that you feel. And worst of all: If you walk out of a Caek store with a wonderful piece of caek, and it rains, it ruins your food. Rain is tiring, boring, and depressing, after all.

Why we were out that day I'll never understand.Raine, my mother, and I were wander all around the face of Coral looking for an adress that probably led to an opium den somewhere in the south pole. Rainee never was good with directions.To be honest, she freaking SUCKED. Haha! It i _was_ /i fun, though. She always managed to make things adventurous, I guess. Geh. I just wonder why she never used a damn umbrella on days like that. I mean, crap, I almost died of pneumonia HOW MANY times?

i _But, if you think about it, shouldn't walking in the rain be how you should always live you life?_ /i 

B **Hell yes.** /B 

As we neared our destination -- turns out it was the delivery end of a Thai food restaurant -- with the help of my PDA, I was hit with the usual bout of the munchies, which is always triggered by proximity to sustenance. No... I wasn't and eight year-old pothead.

I turned to my mother and tugged on her RAmarl-issued pants, "Rainee! Let's get some food here!" I smiled my patented 'Give my happy ass some food or i'll eat your soul' smile, then went about adjusting the Cat Ear Headband she had bought for me a few minutes earlier.

"Even after last time?" Rainee smiled her patented 'You're screwed you little bugger' smile. Think this: 3

"Uhmm..."

"Remember Nyon-Nyon? How you ended up with splinters on your tongue," Air break for laughter, "And... And how we couldn't get them out for weeks! AHAHAHAH!" I could tell she was having trouble holding in her laughter, and I think that that was mainly because her face was so red that it had turned i _green /i ._

_"_HEY!_" _I looked away from her, embarassed, the swiftness of the i _swish_ /i sending rain droplets into the air to join the torrent of their brothers that was falling around us. "That's only beceause you chewed on them while I was going to the bathroom!"

"Ahahaha! And you so freaking FELL for it!" Again with the Neko-Cat Smile. 3 "I mean, who in the name of the Red Goddess doesn't check their food after leaving it alone?" My mother started tousling my hair as we turnedinto the alley behind the Restaurant. "Aww, Nyreal. You're the cutest little sucker i've ever seen! I just wanna HUG YOU!"

"ACK! Stop it! I like BREATHING!" She lifted my face up to her own, kissed my cheek, and then proceeded to affectionately sever my spine.

"You know, torture of one's offspring via hugging isn't all that terrible..." What? Guardian Angel?

"It is to my NYON-NYON!" At Nyon-Nyon, Rainee hugged tighter, the expression on her face reading as if she had eating something very very very sour, or very very very sweet.

"... I think I'll take that comment back. The way you hug, he's likely to become just another statistic..." At this, Rainee dropped me and turned to my savior. She was average height, golden-blonde, and had strangely dark eyes that seemed to express inner light. How ironic. Light.

"Aww. Give me a little bit more credit than that, lady. Rainee Destiny raises no weaklings!" With that she pounded her chest, then yelped in pain, and slapped her hand for good measure. "OUCH DAMMIT."

"I missed that about you, Rainee. You're insane!" The strange angel girlishly covered her mouth and giggled.

"Hey! I thought I hid it better than THAT!" The pair laughed a while longer, and when the laughing died down, Rainee used my head as an armrest. "So, whatcha got for me this time, Oh Melodius Sovereign of Light."

"I hate that title!" The Strange Sovereign recoiled as if a boulder had landed on her head. "GECK! Never call me that! It's like drinking bad wine! I need water! Help!"

Rainee only pointed up.

"Ha. Ha. Ha." My angel laughed dryly, looking inside her raincoat for an item that seemed to have some importance (Uhm, Duh?). She was practically as bad as Rainee in that regard...

"Gah! It's so amazingly Light-Brite. I can't see a goddamn thing."

"Oh really?" Angel-chick's "Oh" seemed very circular, while the vowels in her "Really" seemed to be smashed between her constonants... You know. O RLY.

"Ya rly." Rainee went over and smiled her goofy little smile, patted Angel-Girl on the back, and put her hands out in front of the mysterious woman, who in turn dropped a small black parcel box in her waiting extremities. It had a red bow holding it together, and I thought it vagualey reminded me of that bottomless donut box Rainee had bought for me the Christmas before.

"Well! I must bid you adeiu! There's a bit of a Satanic Cult over in 'Salem's Lot, you see..." Her voice trailed off as she looked up toward the pallid sky.

"I gotcha. Enjoy, Bright-one!"

"But of course, Rainee. I'll bring your baby back a souveneir, too."

"Don't let it be eight years before we see each other again, mkay?"

"Seven at most, love." And with that, the Bright-one pulled a new (and rare, at the time) capsule from her belt and disappeared in a flash of red, sky-chasing beams of light.

As it turns out, it was seven years before they met again. Though on time, Bright Angel Girl found the wrong person entirely...

"AH! WOOHOO! Home at last!" Rainee said as she kicked the door of our apartment open.

"Jeezus, Rainee. You'd think that a door covered in shoe prints would be enough to tell you that it's bad..." I said, kicking the door closed behind me as I entered. When in Rome, am I right? I made my way over to the kitchen and threw some bread into the toaster. This instantly popped out and five feet into the stratosphere. Now, you may ask where these things fall. Why, on my head, of course. More specifically, the pieces of toast were skewered on my Neko-Cat ears. I pulled some cherry jelly out of the fridge, and then began to spread it with the help of a spoon.

"Yeah. But I still have enough money left over from Lethe's death to buy as many doors as I want... Uhm, I mean..." Rainee sighed uncomfortably. "Your daddy left us very well off, you know..."

"Doesn't matter to me. Just drop it!" I half-yelled. The super-toasted bread didn't seem to take the suddenly rough treatment of its jelly very well.

"Argh, kid!" I heard her footsteps behind me, and then her powerful presence pitying me from a few feet away. Then, I felt two strong arms slip through my guarded angst like a Jellyfish through a Jelly Processing Plant's health department: Easily, and practically purposefully. Before I could say "it that ing hurts!", I was locked in another one of Rainee's hugs. Jeez... I can't believe I didn't grow up with a misplaced spine, or as a paraplegic. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!"

"GACK! It's... FINE! Just lemme go...!" I struggled, and managed to slip out of her grip, only to notice that she tightened it around my neck to keep me from falling. Needless to say, it went from a spine crushing embrace to a skull crushing hug. Thanks to the pressure on my neck, I sounded like a duck.

"I know! You're my SON!" She threw me like a dodgeball at our kitchen table, and by the time she had reached the tilde, I had landed onto one of our beanbag chairs (her aim sucked, which made little sense, her being a RAmarl and allt). I guess that's the saving grace of our house, the fact that it was so relaxed. It was a three-room apartment: Bathroom, Livingroom, and Outside Hallways. We had a big-screen TV (Well off, remember?) that was hooked up to five game systems, and had a bookshelf filled with a literal library of games next to the TV for easy access. We had everything from Chrono Trigger to Phantasy Star Online to MapleStory. As our only true furnishing, the table near the kitchen (Livingroom was part kitchen.) was one of those odd things that you have to kneel to eat off of. Rainee said it was a memento of my father, Lethe Destiny. Anyway, we also had beanbags for hours and hours upon freaking DAYS of Phantasy Star Online Rare Hunting Marathons. Also, we had them for the massive stacks of books that seemed to pile up ever higher. To top it all off, our tiny bathroom was stacked high with anime. Rainee was pretty damn focused on gaming and reading and watching anime. I don't remember her doing much else, actually, which is why what happened later seemed so weird.

"Nyon Nyon... Have you seen my laptop lately? I've had that strange urge ever since I ate those mushrooms for breakfast." Rainee said, pushing over the beanbag I had crash landed in to search for her PC.

"Urge? Uhm, I think we have that KaworuxShinji thing next to the soap in the WC."

"No, you pervert, the MapleStory urge." If it was punishment, or a product of her absent mind, I wasn't sure. I CAN'T tell with her! She pushed the beanbag on top of my head and sat down on it while I was underneath her. Though, she may have just put the table on it, I couldn't have known from that position."Oh! Here it is." I'm sure she noticed the careless shoulder of her machine sticking out from under the table, at which point she probably grabbed it and turned it on. Like I said, I wasn't able to tell from my polyeurethane cell of darkness and feathers. The latter of which was in my mouth, so in desperation I summoned my strength (Heehee Yugioh) and wriggled my body upwards so that I could at least poke my head out from under the bag.

"Dammit. That game's a waste of time... You've been playing it for four years now and you're only level 10." I said, crushed suddenly as she shifted her weight to support the computer.

"It's not a waste of time! I finally figured out how to get to Victoria Island!" She said gleefully, humming the tune of the music that the game was spewing out.

"Whateva cracka. Say... Do we have any more fish in the..." A shape moving near the window caught my attention... It was an odd shape; it was hunched over, with a beaky head that seemed to droop unnaturally off of its own body, as if the mind was a wasteful body part.The strange thing seemed to shiver and shake as it rubbed against our window for warmth; the accountant/tortoise-like thing seemed to rock in a motion similar to that of the random and chimerical rain. I don't know what it was there for... I thought it was something out of a nightmare, the kind where everything is fine until you die. "Hey, Rainee... Did we buy a turtle...?"

"No... Why?" She looked up from her game, her Emerald Green eyes softened with uber-rare maternal concern. Seriously... She was more of a big sister than a Mom... I've narrowed it down, actually; Rainee Destiny was either a completely hopeless parent, or an absolutely brilliant one. Her features suddenly changed as they examined our one window. Her face switched from a carefree grin to an angry grimace... And I've burned her underwear drawers before. All she did was walk around underwear-less and hug me alot more than usual for a month or so. Pun-ish-ment. I mean, nowadays when Light does that, it's heavenly. But Rainee's not my girlfriend. Anyway, I remember the only time that I had witnessed my mother with an angry expression on her face. Then, in completely white soundlessness, like a holy ninja, she closed the lid on her Mapling session and placed it on our table. Then, she stretched and yawned as if she was suspecting nothing; as if she was getting ready to take another one of her trademark naps. As her arms stretched outwards, her adept fingers caught ahold of the pearl-white zipper of her red beanbag, and pulled it down to Chinatown. Once it was open, and the foamy innards of the beanbag had been revealed to the cold, wet air, Rainee reached into it and pulled out a small red and grey pistol from under the paltry folds and cushions. "So, Nyon Nyon! How was school today?" she said casually, without any hint of acting or of deceit in her tone. The floorboards, moistened from the weeks of moisture creaked under her unfamiliar weight.

"Rainee... You know I don't go to school... You've homeschooled me since birth, weirdo." Instinctively, I ran from the window and behind the kitchen counter.

"Oh.. That's right... How nice that is..." She took one more cautious step towards the window, "... That I taught you how to use that one thing that causes a mental VACUUM ON THE WINDOW!" She yelled the last part out, and I did as the context ordered. I used the skill that she had taught me to suck the surrounding air from the window, creating a vacuum which opened the portal and the sanctity of our home. I fell to the ground out of exhaustion afterwards. Rainee hopped over the window as it flew out into our house, and wasted no time in grabbing the abberation outside of our window and kneeing his surprised consciousness into our roof, which caused a tremendous pounding that rippled through the rooms above us. When he fell back down from the ceiling, Rainee continued her ferocious assault by grabbing his head (Or cranium-like protrusion, whatever) and slamming it into the wall, making a nice red hole in the otherwise white walls. Rainee then dragged the odd turtle out to the fire escape just outside our window, where shortly after I heard ragged screams of pain and anguish. They seemed squashed and sharp--The kind of feeling you get from a granite arrowhead in the desert. After you haven't drank water. For three hours. In 110 Degree Weather.

I crawled over to the window and hid myself under the small area in-between the window and the fridge, knowing that I could hear all that was going on. Also that I would probably be stepped on when Rainee came back out.

"NOW! I dare you! I double dare you, mother er! SAY WHAT AGAIN!" My mother's bunny-like voice had some fangs to it. Oooh. Isn't that a scary image? A pink little bunny, with a practically visible halo. Then, when the pretty rosey rabbit smiles, you see the most i _lovely_ /i collection of deadly wolve's fangs.

"I ss-ware to you, O Holy One! I don't know ww-hh-ee-rr-ee THEY ARE!" It sounded like the last two word's of the reptile's sentence were hit with the ass end of an ass whooping.

"You know where you came from you stupid little fuck! You even b **smell** /b of wasted human life!" It seemed like three gunshots were fired. They seemed muffled, and to carried a firework dust of color with them as they exploded on entry to our stalker's body. i _Puush Puush Puush_ /i 

My mother carried on, and I heard a sound a bit like stressing rubber--She was using her foot to press him against the flimsy iron of the fire escape. "Now. You can tell me where you're hiding all those people... And I will kill you without you suffering!" She said, with an oddly happy glow about her... Yellow-colored, with a hint of green. "OR! You can simply remain silent, and I can extend your pain so that Hell will seem like a vacation after what I've done to you!" There was a sickly ripping sound, like a bored child ripping apart leaves or blades of grass, and then another scream. This scream was foamy, and drippy. He must have been bleeding internally.

There was the faintest hint of rebellious resignation in his voice, along with an evanescent trace of primal fear; it seemed that fearing Rainee was the equivalent of a normal human's fear of the dark to him: "... Ok... Fine... I'll tell you."

"Good man... Turtle. Thing. Now gimme a location, my amphibiously retarded chum."

"What'sss the most evillest industry that exthissstsss in our world today?" He slank out as if he were Cobra Commander.

"Besides yours? Television!" She said with a scary ring of truth around her neck. "Ohhhh! I see! An abandoned television station on the edge of town, right?"

I heard more waves of blood as he heaved what were to be his last reptillian words. From the excruciating time and effort it took for him to formulate his final sentence, I do believe that Rainee was doing him a favor. "Exactly... The old Sega Anime building, seven blocks away... Please... Kill them all. Murder the bastards who did this to me... Keep them from suffering this fate onto others... Make them suffer." I could hear him weeping into the cold night air, where the rain had let up for the first time in weeks simply to pity this pathetic creature... The orange glow of the city below illuminated his soul, and I could tell as I turned around to witness his final moments... I was able to tell that he was not evil. Not evil at all. Just misguided and deceived like the rest of mankind.

"Sayonara, hombre." She faintly giggled; the kind of far-off laugh where it may either be laughing or crying. Then, with a word of assurance, she shot once more. i _Puush_ /i .

A raindrop tear of red fell through the floor and onto my hand. I left it there, and never removed it.

Rainee covered her tears well... If you didn't have me to expertly analyze her mind, then you wouldn't know a thing about this girl. She talked to me somberly about the man she had just killed, even though she knew that I understood perfectly well the reasoning behind it all. Eggs and pancaeks and bacon and McGriddles were served frugally by my mother. She was singing as she cooked. And dammit, I have to admit that her voice was Perfect! Wonderful! Enlightening!

"So! You want the usual Fridge-Cleaner?" Rainee said as she threw another McGriddle at me from across the kitchen.

I caught it and hastily devoured it. "Eh... Nah. I think Hash Browns will be enough to off me tonight..." Y'now... Considering she was making MechaMcDonalds every night, I'm surprised I wasn't SuperSized. Always was a twig. Still am a twig, though that's more of a lack of food thing nowadays...

"God, child! You should be happy that I restocked the fridge."

"What? You think I'm unhappy?"

"Well... Your cholesterol could probably kill a cow."

"... This from the woman who thinks Rockstar is a health drink."

She turned and yelled, which caused her to push down on the pan she was deep-frying the Hash Browns in. The oil flew and landed on our cat, who was already clean-shaven from an earlier incident involving Nair and a needle... "Chill, kid! I do the same workout I give you everyday!"

"Yeah, yeah... Oh, Rainee. You killed our putty tat." I hopped off my barstool and grabbed the cat with the surgically grafted Hash Browns. Once I had it's fried carcass in my hands, I took it to the busted window and threw it to our neighbors one window down. They ran a Chinese restaurant. Let's leave it at that. Rainee turned off the stove and made a comment about potato-flavored Orange "Chicken".

"We had a cat? I thought you were the only Neko here..." Out of nowhere I was lifted into the air, and then rocketed into my beanbag nearly ten feet away; Rainee threw me as a fleshie shotput.

"Feavurs taste bahd..." My face was buried in the open beanbag, and my ass was in the air. And I gave her about...

"BAM!" Less than three seconds. My spanking radar was off, apparently.

"OUCH! What's your major malfunction? I NEED THAT ASS!" I turned onto my back so that my head was touching the floor, and my feet were in the air.

"You're a guy! Your butt is worthless!" There was an abrupt darkening of the ceiling above me, and I saw something terrible flying out at me: Rainee. She landed on me with the force of a stray truck (Think Christine).

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH THE INHUMANITY!"

"Sucker." She kissed me, knowing that this would only make things worse. Yeah. 10 Decibels of pure scream in a bottle.

"You evil, evil, evil woman! You just want me to die for the insurance money!" I kicked and struggled to try and push her off of me, but she grabbed my arms and pushed them out onto the floor above my head. Or below it. I was still kinda confused from being tackled.

"Now you are lost in your way; Deep in an awesome story... So I will find you again, kiss you for lonesome folly."

"Wha...?"

"Just a little incantation of love for my little baby BOY!" She stood up, grabbed my arms, and threw me into the air from between her legs. Right before I was about to fall by her, she grabbed me and pulled another one of her spine crushing hugs. "YOU'RE JUST TOO DAMN CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE!"

"GACK! You DO want my insurance policy!...!...!... ... ... EEEEEEEEEEEEG." My face turned red. Then purple... With a hint of plaid.

Her hugging let up a bit... Though, I didn't let my lungs have too much air, since I was damn-near certain that she was going to start up again. Rainee cast an absent-minded carefree glance at the ceiling, "No... I just want that Reef Pearl that I put in your stomach as a child to be cut out of its shell by your digestive juices. Then I can disembowel you and make a fortune!"

"..." She tossed me into the opposite beanbag.

"You know that that writing cop-out isn't allowed in here! ... Kekeke. I'm kidding Nyreal! Heehee!" She must have had OCD. Rainee turned away from me and started pounding away against the walls, as if she was in an ancient ruin and she was hunting down secret passages. She stopped her crab walk against the wall once her fist had hit a hollow spot, which she punched a few times to ensure that it was what she was looking for and not just a termite nest. Rainee then positioned her body in front of the hollow spot and hit the area with her head. I only saw a quick flash of her bare feet before she had completely disappeared into the wall. After a few assorted curses and swear words, she popped back out with a strange pair of white wing-like things in her hands.

"What are those, Rainee...? Oh, also: What the flipping frick happened there?"

"Nothing that an advanced robotic version of Steven Hawking can't explain. But he's on loan to the Louve, so..."

"..."

Practically glowing with the energy of her grin, Rainee handed me the strange wings. "These are your birthright, Nyon Nyon! Lethe left these for you before he died... He told me that they would help you through life without him." Rainee put them in my hands... I stared up at her in an attempt to know what to feel (I never knew my father... I hear he was a hero or something like that) , and I saw her shed a tear of joy that fell onto my forehead. I never understood that. How the hell can you shed a tear? It's not a part of you that you have to get rid of. It's an expression of a feeling; Sadness isn't bad, but if you ignore it it'll get you back someday. "Do you see that protrusion in the wings, Nyon Nyon? That's where Lethe sealed his weapon..."

She was right. A distinct, white protrusion glowed in between the emptiness of the Angel Wings Mag. It was long, about as long as half my height. The sheath of the thing was everglowing light, and the base of the hilt had two green gemstones implanted in it. Oddly enough, this was where the wings met in their feint connections, so this meant that the connections of the Mag itself were actually sealing the blade within it's holster. My rainy mother spoke again:

"Angel Wings... That was your daddy's mag. And the sword that his wings are sealing... It's the Masamune, Nyreal. The ultimate weapon. It's been wielded by the greatest of warriors throughout all of history: Edge, Cyan, Sephiroth, Zidane, Auron. Glenn, kid, Glenn! Frog from Chrono Trigger! Serge from Chrono Cross! The blade itself is made from a material that harnesses the powers of the cosmos and resembles the stars. This is a weapon for the pure of heart. Forces of evil and the nature of darkness cannot touch those who wield this blade with their body and soul; they slide off and fall by the wayside, as evil should always do. This sword has a mind of it's own, too! The twin spirits of the sword, Masa and Mune, Light and Wind, give the sword a conscience and an inner glow.

"Now, I'm sure that this may seem rather odd to you... I know it's a bit too much for you to handle all at once, especially after I just popped out of a wall in no-space just to find the damn thing for you. But it is a final gift of love from your father... And I hope that you accept it and use it for the good of mankind."

Lethe Destiny. Rest in Peace. And thank you, for everything.

_ i "You're my shining star... " /i _

Lilting words floated through the ocean of my psychic world as I tried to force myself to sleep. Rainee had said them to me as she was putting me to sleep. Then, with a trace of some kind of fatal finality, she kissed me and chanted her incantation one last time:

"Now you are lost in your way; Deep in an awesome story... So I will find you again, kiss you for lonesome folly."

What the hell was it supposed to mean? My mind, which was busy floating in the dreamy sea of LCL that sleep returns you to, bolted to decode her cryptic message... I knew that she had taken it from a song in .hack/SIGN; that was no biggy. Now I just had to swim through the air of my own head to understand it. Blues and cosmic purples melted through my closed eyes like a universal alchemy of life and imagination. The tones and colors that resembled the oceans of human experience that had led up to my life pulsed at the speed of techno rythms, which was a slow gait compared to my mind's frantic worrying. Alright. Now you are lost in your way. That meant that I had gone astray somehow... But where? And was I the one going away? Deep in an awesome story. The first thought that swam by my mind was i _my story_ /i ... So... that must have meant that I was going to follow my own story.

But there was another sentence.

A shot of prismatic yellow frolicked swiftly by my mind's watery world, and I turned and spun in the zero-gravity freedom of it all. So I will find you again. What... Was she going to leave me and go somewhere? Rainee wouldn't ever leave me alone... Never. It'd have to be of universal proportions, wouldn't it? I see. Then that last part must have meant that she would embrace me and love me whenever we met again, and that she would gift me with something... As a kiss usually means in poetry and prose.

Dancing greens came swiftly in waves of color and pushed my small, robed, and Neko eared form in the psychic prism of my thought, and then the greens shifted the purples to a lighter shade of pink then to a softly churning crimson, and then returned to purple for a moment before returning to a cosmic rainbow. Purple was Rainee's favorite color, actually, which was a perfect reason for the pallet of my inner life to be painted with her color. She said purple was a beautiful balance of color; one of the most perfect in all of creation. She said that it was the wonderful symbiotic duality of blue, the color of coldness and collectivity, with red, the color of passion and feeling. According to Rainee, the color of human life was Purple, since it was a balance of the aspects needed to survive as a creature of form and light.

To survive I needed her; I needed my mother. And I had realized what she was finally saying to me. She was leaving me, so that I could live out my own story... I don't know why, but this terrified me. It sounded like she was going off to die for some reason... That conversation with the turtle opened a screen in my mind and played itself. So... She was going to that dead building to save some people from a horrible fate, like that of the poor misshaped fiend we had seen before.

I'm not sure why, but after I realized that, something in my biology changed. I was scared for her, I didn't want her to be alone as she fought these horrible people...

I sprang out of bed. The Angel Wings, which were hung up on my door, were glowing in the darkness of my newly opened eyes. Glowing always used to be an Angel's communication in early video games and there was an urgency and a sense of purpose to the fervent and powerful glow that the Wings were emitting... I grabbed them and took them with me.

Took 'em with me right out the window and into the rain.

It was right about then that I began to despise rain. It was cold...

My body couldn't move me fast enough. I was running as fast as possible through the city streets, admiring the lights of night, the pure and sacred glow of the next closest streetlight, and the intensely more unique properties gasoline rainbows had to offer me at night.

The cold and pouring rain turned the glow from the streetlights blue, and barely believeable. I was able to see the highrise neon of the cities and towns above us; greens and yellows advertising slogans that noone cared about. The people of the worlds high above me only cared about the nightlights that were being offered to them as a public service. People bought the products advertised as a Thank-You to the people who kept the nighttime's child-like mischief away from their own kiddy wonts and activities.

The rain poured and poured and poured. The kids in Heaven were crying for me and my mother; they were crying for their own parents, who were still stranded in the Land of Nod without the loves of their lives. Each raindrop that hit me felt like the full force of the emotions of a kid like me, who sympathized with me and was letting a tear fly for his own loved ones; perhaps ones that he himself was unable to save. It was too heavy... I wasn't strong enough to bear the weight of a thousand worlds. The rain led me off to a universe of sadness and regret. And, in a more immediate concern, the rain was slowing down my cells' constant bouncing back and forth within my body, and thusly slowing _ i me /i _ down.

Later, the rain would remind me of this day. And it would be too much for me to handle, so I would avoid it. I wasn't able to see the tears of joy in the rain until much later on.

I found the place easily. Me and my mother had thrown rocks at the windows of the place before, to help us take out our aggression about the whole "Sonic Anime" business.

The main entrance seemed stupid, and only slightly suicidal, so I went around to the Fire Escape of the building and slipped in quietly through the long-since dead fire escape door. The rain had stopped by the time had reached the top of the stairs. It was just a momentary break--I could tell by the clouds--but it distracted me so much that I fell back two stairs and would've fallen off and died if it wasn't for the fervent flapping of the wings. I was lucky I was wearing them, I guess.

When I was inside, I heard the Fanged Bunny tone of her voice booming through the large empty hall. I also heard the cries of screaming drones as they were punched and kicked asunder with little effort at all.

"Come on! This isn't even a fight! You pathetic bastards are selling out human lives and you haven't even the strength of character nor the moral conviction to fight even a girl?" I ran over to the railing and witnessed my mother kicking ass and taking names.

Rainee was walking forward, towards someone who appeared to be the one in charge. That was a grotesque looking man; tall, pale, with a frenchy goatee. He was sitting on a makeshift throne of some sort. As if he was some kind of being that deserved any feelings besides revoltion...

"As if moral support actually makes a difference," Y'now... I think that the man on the throne was more repulsive than the Turtle Guy. Slaughter and death seemed to emit from his veins. As I looked at him I seemed to smell the unmistakable smell of lost human life. From at least 100 feet away. "I do believe that this pathetic crusade of yours is worthless, Empyrean Halo."

"Prove to me why, Black Cape; since we seem to be going by legendary names."

He stood up. Apparently, he did have a cape, which was made apparent to me when he pushed it outward for some kind of intimidating effect. Yeah. As if that was going to scare my mom.

"Yeah. As if that's going to scare me."

"It wasn't meant to. Besides, that's not the point, Rainee." His voice was deep and it had an almost inhuman echo to it, as if he was breathing Freon. "You don't understand the gravity of this situation do you? These people are being used for the greater good! These people... They're the scum of the Earth! And we're using their wasted lifeforce for a greater purpose..."

"I've seen your greater purpose! You're torturing and mutilating these people, and for what? To extend the Lives of your masters, those rich FUCKS in the government? That's not worthwhile--It's a crime!" Rainee continued her slow walk towards him.

This guy had an awfully high opinion of himself. Waving capes are not helpful; he tripped on a combination of his cape and a puddle of his own _cowardice._ He was leaning backwards, and he cried out in terror from his ass. "B-But don't you see! We're extending the lives of those who matter by martyring these people! Their lives are being used to improve the lives of those who matter, don't you see? We're giving these people a purpose!"

"Shut your dripping sperm hole." Rainee lifted her twin guns--Heaven's Punisher and Ophelie Seize, otherwise known as the unstoppable Mille Marteaux--and fired three rounds at her adversary's legs. Screams emerged from the 'hole that she had previously mentioned, and oh God were they satisfying to hear. "The only lives that are worthless here are yours. Do you really think that you have the say over someone's life simply because you have more power than them? ** b Heheh... I think I'm going to teach you a little lesson, /b **" As she spoke that last sentence, she reached to the capsule belt on her side, and grabbed a white capsule with the free fingers of her right gun hand. Lithe and nimble fingers cracked open the capsule, and her entire body began to glow with an ethereal light... It reminds me of Light's Astral Form now that I think about it, "Now! It's my job as the new Empyrean Halo to punish you all for your misdeeds! Life was created equally, regardless of societal moors or the values placed upon skills and traits by those of the norm! Noone has the right to destroy the life of another!"

The man tried to pull himself up by the chair above him, "Then what are you planning to do to us, lecture us to death?"

"Oh, no. God no. I'm not even going to hurt you. I'll simply grind your bones," Rainee had reached the stairs now, and she was slowly marching upwards to him. "Rip out your heart, strangle you with your intestines, feed your emptying bowels to you, and show you the color of your brains. Of course, the Great Light will be sure to keep your immortal soul intact, so that you'll be given an all-expense paid trip to Hell! You won't _ever_ die!" She said it with a startling ring of cheery perkiness--I could tell she was going to enjoy this. Hell, I was going to enjoy this as well. I was so caught up in the moment that I didn't notice the heavy footsteps of a Black Cape goon until he had picked me up by the hair and held me over the railing. I screamed.

"LET GO OF ME YOU LITTLE BASTARD!" I swung my body backwards, ignoring the fact that I'd probably go bald after the maneuver, and locked my legs around his thick arms. Thick from fat, but big nonetheless. I focused all of my technique energy into the area just outside of the soles of my feet, and I fired a blind Foie towards any body part of my fatty assailant that I could hit. I focused and fired again and again, and on the third casting of my wimpy fireball I heared a very distinct "GACK!" and then I felt my center of gravity move downward towards the floor. Once my friend with the melted face hit the floor, his grip immediately released from the shock and I flew threw the air and into the opposite wall. I heard my mom's voice from below me.

"Nyon Nyon! Be careful! Remember anime laws: The bad guy's going to summon an elite team of worthless NPCs to be knocked out easily! One's going to go for you!" I stood up--not without alot of tripping over myself first, mind you-- and tried to ready myself.

"Alright! Alright alright alright!" Black Cape stood up in front of Rainee, something that I greatly applaud him for attempting, and yelled out an order, "You may be able to tell what I'm going to do next, Halo, but you won't be able to fend off these warriors!"

"Ninjas, attack." She said listlessly.

"NINJAS... ATTACK!" He hopped backwards onto his thrown, then threw his arm forward and above his head histrionically, as if he was pointing out a location for his drones to attack. (Really, he just looked like a Nazi) "Two of you, go after the boy!"

Two did what he ordered, but I was fine with that. I ignored them completely and watched Rainee fight. "Alright, Nyreal! This is how real fighting is done!" She leaped down off the throne and past all the steps. For the first time I noticed her mag. Incongruously floating behind her back was a purple Devil Wings mag... How odd, for a holy warrior. Must've been her duality with my father.

"KICK SOME ASS, MOM!" Oh yes she did. When she landed from her fall on the steps, all of the ninjas immediately right their leap through the air from behind the throne, and jumped downwards towards her in a faux-dance of menace. She just smiled at them until they were collectively on foot away from her, at which point she disappeared entirely. Since the ninjas were coming from all sides, they all bumped heads with each other.

"HEY JERK OFFS! Look up!" My mom was suspended in the air. Her legs were wrapped around a lamp (See where I got it from?) and her twin guns were pointing downwards towards the ninjas. "Let's dance! Diviiiiiiiiine... Punishmeeeeeent!" I could tell that she was focusing her TP into her weapons, and I noticed that the ninjas had a strange white glow underneath them. "Holy target practice time!" She pulled the triggers of her guns in violent unison--Huge beams of pure energy ripped out of the Mille Marteaux with every shot, and her face contorted with violent ferocity. She pulled the triggers as fast as she could, sending blast after blast of shattering energy. Once the ninjas were vaporized, she let go and dropped down (Rainee did a flip in air for style before landing on her feet and doing that weird little show-off thing that gymnasts in the olympics do). "That all you losers got?"

After she made her witty retort, the ninjas that had been sent to me were ready to go after Rainee's son. Which, for the stupid, IS ME! Neko ears weren't needed to hear what was going on behind my back; I heard the metallic ring of a katana's unsheathing behind me. I decided it was time to use what she had taught me... "Gotta catch me first, you loud excuse for a ninja!" I climbed onto the railing in front of me, and kicked off as hard as I could into a backflip that was supposed to make it over their heads. I wasn't sure at the time; all I was aware of was the harsh metal-on-metal ring that had pierced its way into my head. When I had turned myself forward, towards their backs, I crossed my arms and pointed them at the two ninjas. Bursting flames poured out from my palms in streams as I copied the focus techniques I had learned from Rainee. They screamed in fiery anguish and turned around to face me, but I was still about seven feet off the ground. Right then I was just a three and a half foot tall floating target. Wait a freaking second. Floating? I looked around quizically, wondering what was going on, and then I looked behind my back and noticed the glowing wings. They weren't flapping as if they were running from a rank fart; they were peaceful, and calm. Again, moving with a sense of purpose and effort... The gems on the sheath holding the seal together were lucidly blue, with a blinding incandescent glow moving around with an almost auroral beauty to it. The wings were moving apart from each other! The seal was going to break! Those ninjas, guessing correctly their demise in these proceedings, attempted in vain to break the Wings' forcefield with their weapons. Glistening, glowing, phosporous, luminous, argent, glossy, lambent: The Masamune, which had been under lock and key and seal for years since Lethe's death, was now free. And it was MINE!

"Yeah! Go Nyon-Nyon! Kick some ninja BUTT!" Ultimate cheerleader. My mom.

The forcefield created by wings burst out in a penultimate blaze of energy. Ultimate? Well...

The ninjas were sent flying into the railings with a nice fleshy CLANG(!), but I knew it wasn't going to finish them. I also knew that I didn't have the skills needed to finish them off. And I knew I was going to die! I knew I was going to be stabbed, sliced, and otherwise turned into a California Roll.

But then I heard a strange voice.

i _Use Rouzeki, Nyreal! Be just like the wind! WHOOOOOOOSHHHHH!_ /i 

"The hell? Who are you!"

b i **_He's Mune. I'm Masa. We're the twin spirits of your blade._** /i /b 

"Okay... I guess I knew that much. So you two are those weirdos from-"

i _CHRONO TRIGGER WAS AN AAAAAAAWESOME GAME! Whoosh._ /i 

b i **_You heard the kid. We're Masa and Mune. Spirits of your sword. We're here to teach you the first of many Masamune techniques, and first off is Rouzeki... _**/i /b 

i _It means CHAOS in Japanese! Wee!_ /i 

b i **_Yes it does, Mune. Now, Nyreal. You're the new master of our sword. And as such I'm going to teach you an attack that will rocket you past any opponent. All you have to do is focus your vacuum power directly in front of your body, so that only you will be pulled forward past your enemies._** /i /b 

The ninjas got up, and started running at me.

b i **_Alright, Nyr? Then just cut them with the help of your speed! I know you can do it!_** /i /b 

"That's great. I don't know I can do it!" Then again, the thought of someone eating the newly-created Nyreal Roll at some backalley Sushi Bar wasn't an appealing prospect. Masa and Mune were long gone, though, back into the sword. It began to glisten in the dark room... Cosmic stars on a white background. Very cool. I could tell that it was time to try! "WELL! I guess it's this or becoming some fat Otaku's lunch! Let's dance! ROU-" I focused all of my energy into making the strongest vacuum I had ever made in front of me... Life or death! "ROUUUU... ROUZEKI!" I was pulled into motion instantly. The force of the vacuum was so intense that I had trouble simply gripping the sword; it was being held behind me as I flew. But then, once I took off, everything moved in slow motion as I was sucked through the air at 150 miles a minute... I could see the first ninja's sword swing coming downwards at me; it wasn't even funny how slow it was! He may as well have been standing still. My body instictively positioned itself below the slash, so that I could cut by him without losing my big toe. Masamune was incredibly light to swing as I moved it forward to cut him in two, which was when the vacuum sped up, to make the cutting effortless. Once he was _beside himself_ with pain, I calmly positioned my body within the rarefaction so that I could slice the second, obviously less important guy. I did, but I wasn't able to control the speed of the vacuum the second time, and I flew right through the hole in the railing that was made when the ninjas first cut at me and into the middle of the space above the warehouse. And then the vacuum died. And I fell.

"AAAAAAAAAAAACK! MASA AND MUNE YOU TWO SUuuuuuuUuuuCK!"

"Never fear, Nyr! You mommy's here!" Oh yeah. She caught me. And she squeezed me so hard I wished that I had died of Ninja, namely because she was suffocating me with Size-CCs.

"ACK! You weirdo! What's the benefit in fighting without a bra?"

She put me down. "AWW! So CUTE! Your first special attack! I'M SO PROUD! Oh, and, to answer that... Well, It's called Visual Psychological Tactics. You'll get it once you're older." She kissed my forehead, and readying her two guns, she walked forward towards the Black Cape dood.

I held the Masamune off to my side. I was so short at the time, though, that it was ever so slightly touching the ground with its pointy tip, so wherever I walked, it left a slight trace. Ah well. I followed closely behind my mother as we headed towards the throne once more. I secretely prayed that she would let me kill him. Hating life was one thing, but hating your own life so much that you had to kill others? It was going to be imperative that I cut that evil out of my memory before I went to bed that night. "So, Mom, you want him, or should I take him out?"

"Let's split the guy. Left half for you?"

"Yeah."

Black Cape's face was bright red, probably from the Visual Psychological Tactics gag. "No! Non Non! Nononoonononoononoonono! You're not going to stop me here! I'm not... I don't want to die!"

"Fine then! We'll **Make You Suffer!**" I smiled, and lifted my sword into an upright ready position.

"Sufferage is fine... But I think **Eternal Damnation!** might be a better alternative for him. Ah well, Nyon Nyon, it doesn't make a difference. We'll make sure we inflict to him all the suffering he's inflicted before we send him to Hell. "

"That sounds fun." For the first time in memory, I smiled my trademark cocky grin.

"NO! STOP IT! NINJAS, GO!" Again? This dude definately didn't have the guts required in order to wear any kind of elegant dress.

Rainee just smiled and loaded a Gold and Silver cartidge into either gun. "Electrum Burst!" She fired her guns in unison at the ground, and she flew in the air from the kick of the charges. (Damn strong gun!) She flew into the air, and when met with the first ninja, she nailed him in the face with a shot of Electrum, which resembled Gold and Silver fireworks. Again she flew backwards like a rag doll holding a Desert Eagle, but then she shot another burst at the ground, sending her higher in the air. The second ninja that was coming at her slipped past as he was trying to grab her, and hit a conveniently placed electrical grid. Nice.

"Get out of the way, Nyon Nyon! This guy's a creature of the Profound Darkness! And as such, I'm going to take this opportunity to tutor you in the art of special attacks!" I jumped off of the throne, but not after testing out the cutting capabilities of the Masamune on Black Cape's trembling legs... Heheheh. I kicked the legs off to the side, and I heard a very satisfying SPLORCH as they hit hte ground. Rainee was floating ever higher in the stratosphere."G'job, Nyr! Alright, now, the key to using an attack successfully is to yell it out really loud, and to have an impressive amount of lights blazing off and screaming from your victim! Oh, and as a general rule, destroy every little piece of a darkness creature. They sometimes can come back to life..."

Capey screamed a bitchy little scream of primal terror. He could at least take it like a man...

"ALRIGHT! Now, It's time to show you why they call your father and I Empyrean Haloes! Empyyyyreaaaannn... HALO!" Empyrean summoned large circles of cerulean power to emanate like smoke rings from her guns, and expand like ripples until they had hit a circumference that was good enough to surround the entirety of the throne. It gained and grew exponentially in power with all the feelings of all the people that had suffered in that place over time... Halo released the giant beam of energy, and it completely squashed and destroyed Cape and everything he carried with him to the grave. It was scary to see his final seconds... I hope he can rest peacefully in Hell.

She was hugging me and smiling, whistling a happy tone like she always did. Her hand was pressing my head against her midsection, and my arms were circled around her lower waist (Basically? Her butt.).

"Ah! You were such a good fighter today, Nyon Nyon! Oooooh! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! See? Now you get why I was battle training you! I knew you'd be prodigious with the Masamune, kiddo!"

"Ah, Rainee..." I blushed from all the attention. There was a slight black tinge of worry in the back of my mind, but I ignored it. It felt like there was a black venomous thing ready to snap at me... But like I said, nothing, right? Probably... "Still, you'll have to teach me how to use Empyrean Halo someday!"

"Of course I will, NEKO NYR!" She ruffled my hair and those cat ears. I looked up to see her face, and it was so unbearably sad that I had to look away... But I looked back up and she had stars in her eyes like she always did. "And once you learn Grand Dream, you're going to have to try and get your Mommy to split into four!"

"Dot. I think four of you would kill me..."

"That's why it'd be the ultimate attack! Anything that could take out my invincible son would HAVE to be the ultimate attack!"

"And anything that would be able to take you out would have to do with me, I guess!"

"You're damn right, buddy. Of course my offspring is my only weakness! I mean, not to say that's a bad thing! I'd rather have a weakness for you then for Silverfish or Silverstein or Pokemon Silver or Silver the horse or Silver Spoons or Silver Ravenwolf or..."

"Stop, please! I get the damn point!" That snake - It was going to... It was gonna strike...

"I know! Heehee. I hope you know that I love you, Nyreal..." She knew too.

"Rainee..."

"I know. I love you!" Faint whistling was all I heard after that... For a second I thought that nothing had happened; that maybe that bite missed and we could go home and do whatever we wished and that the universe would spin on its eternal axis like it normally would... But then I saw that expression of fear and paralyzing sadness on her face... I knew that she had been hit with something that killed her. Rainee's body went limp, and it took all my strength to lower her slowly to the ground so that she wouldn't be hurt. I flipped her onto her back, and held her face in my hands. I heard the words Lethal Injected escape weakly from her lips as I leaned close to her so I could hear her clearly, maybe incase she had some last minute instructions for me. I already knew that those legs I cut off had somehow turned into poison and shot a final revenge blow at my mother with the power of darkness.

"Mom! Mom! What happened... Are you going to- Mommy!"

"Heheh... It's fine, Nyon Nyon..." Her weakened tone of voice combined with her use of my nickname made me burst out in a waterfall of tears... "Oh. Nyreal, it's fine... Please, I don't want you to ever be sad..."

"Mommy... Don't... Don't die, Mom! I don't wan't you to! Please... no..."

"Nyreal..." Her arms trembled with motion as she pushed me onto her body. She held my head to her chest, and tousled my hair. "Do you know why I named you that, Nyreal? It was-" She coughed crimson onto her shoulder, "Eck. It was because when I first saw you, I knew that your life would be unreal, so I gave you a name that would ground you to the real world with all your friends... Near Real. Pretty far off from reality, but still there... The perfect place to be!" Her tone weakened.

"I don't want you to die..." I was weeping uncontrollably now. There was a puddle in the recessed bone of her chest. I could hear her heart beating slower... and slower...

"It's fine, Nyon... Nyon... I love you..."

"Mommy... I love you too... I love you too..."

"I know... and it makes me that happiest person to ever live." Her patting on my head slowed down, and eventually stopped... Her breasts stopped their heaving, and the heart that loved me more than it loved all things in the cosmos stopped all audible beating.

"Rainee... Mommy..."

For a split second I thought I heard her breath again. But I brushed it aside as me being psychotic. Then... What? Why were her arms wrapped around me? I don't remember that... Huh?

Her body seemed to flicker with light... Then again, like a broken lightbulb. The flickering became swifter and quicker until it stopped flickering entirely and started as a solid glow. She held me in her arms tightly, and stood up while holding me like a newborn baby. She continued to glow a golden yellow... Her entire body was that color, her clothes, her eyes; the whole look of her was that of an angel. Celestial comes to mind. An angel that's ready to fly through the universe and become not just a star--No, she'll become an eternal supernova!

"Hi Nyon Nyon." She smiled, and I could tell that she was at peace, and that she loved me. I stopped crying.

"Mommy!"

She looked up after that, and I noticed that there was a golden circle of light that was hovering just above us. Rainee appeared to be talking to it. "...Yeah. I see. Cosmic Duality. BUT I WANNA STAY WITH MY WONDERFUL MAN!" She smiled at me, and then lowered me to the ground. My legs awkwardly returned to the pavement, and I stood up. She kneeled down besides me, so that we were at eye level. Foreheads hit softly, and she held that nervous position with both her arms around me. Her hair, which was already golden before and had taken a turn for the beautiful now, fell downwards with gravity and framed our faces, and almost held them together.

"Hi Rainee."

"Hey Nyon Nyon. I'm going to tell you why I'm going now, even though it's not allowed... Alright?"

"Okay..." I didn't care. All I wanted was her to stay with me.

"Alright! Heehee. I'm the second-to-last of a secret service of people who save whoever they can in the name of the Great Light. Basically, we're the counterpoint to all those Goth teenagers who worship the Profound Darkness. Get it?"

I shook my head against hers.

"Great! Okay, well... The reason I have to go now is because of a little thing called Cosmic Duality. It means that there was to be a balance in the universe. An equal number of good people, and an equal number of bad people. If it wasn't like this, then the universe would basically crash into itself, see?"

"Yes..." I finally realized the intimacy of our position, and blushed.

"I LOVE THIS KID! Alright, well, I was killed because there is a new person around for the side of Good! That's you, kiddo! You're a huge karmic scale of happiness, like your mommy! That's why! Balance! But don't worry, Nyon Nyon. Remember the chant of love I said for you?"

"It's what led me here in the first place." I feel strange for saying this, but I actually wanted to kiss her goodbye when she left, and I was sure that I wouldn't scream in horror or call poison control if I did.

"Smart child! Well, that's just something to wonder about, isn't it?" She laughed out loud, and then mumbled something about not having enough time. "Nyreal. I'm going to kiss you now."

Something green and darty shot through my stomach. I just nodded. She smiled at me, and told me that it was a test. Uh-huh. Her lips moved dangerously close to my own, and then lingered there for a moment or so, before inching closer and closer. She smiled again, and then I was actually able to feel her happiness... I was shocked; my heart skipped a beat, and I noticed the seriousness and urgency that her closed eyes expressed--It drove me to close my own. This kiss wasn't just a normal one of her quick pecks to bug me or anything like that; it was slow... She moved her lips against my own, and I moved mine instinctively as well. I must have opened my mouth for air, and when I was done breathing, I felt her warm tongue slip inside of my mouth, and then I moved mine to meet hers. It was such a contrast from the rain; that kiss felt warm... It was lifegiving! We went on like that for a short time after that way, and then she broke the kiss, and stood up to her full height. I laughed nervously, though I felt I was a different person, separated from my mother with her blessing and love.

She wiped off her mouth with the tips of her fingers, and wiped her hand on my cheek, laughing. "My test was a success! That's how Grown-Ups kiss, Nyon Nyon. You're pretty damn good. The girls will have to beat you with a stick just to keep you with them."

"Uhm... Thanks?"

"Nope! Not at all, kid. I should thank you for being such a wonderful son all this time! But, alas, you're not a kid anymore, Nyreal. With that kiss, I let go of you as my baby... So now you're your own man! Live your life the way you want to! Never compromise, never never EVER give up!" Her feet began floating behind her into the golden ball of light... "I love you Nyon Nyon! Go on and have fun, my Son! I love youuuuuu!" Rainee's hands were reaching out to me as she disappeared into the realm of eternity.

"I love you too, Mom..."

Rainee Destiny. Rest in Peace...

_ i I see a little silhouetto of a man_

_Scaramouch, scaramouch will you do the fandango? /i _

I was alone again, and I was floating through the thousands of worlds inside my head. As I continued upon my floating pathway, I noticed a faint silhouette of a human figure. It was tall, it had long hair; all I was able to see was the faint, white outline of it, though. I wasn't able to see that shades that filled it in. Suddenly, my flotilla was halted and I was placed inside of a pitch-black room, where

the outline of that figure was a glowing monolith on the floor. The pearl-colored outline then began to glow with all the colors of my psyche: Pink, red, green, yellow, black, blue, dark blue, white, teal, and plaid. Teal was the voice of logic; the speaker of the rational and cold side of my emotions. He walked up to a pedestal and began speaking; I wasn't paying attention, I was simply wondering why my robe had turned purple. Teal spoke, in a cold, yet strikingly human voice--By human, of course, I mean it had a slight edge of vulnerability to it. This must be an effect of Masamune's Grand Dream... That attack takes sides of your emotions and picks four of them at random to place into physical form for an ultimate attack. But anyway:

"Nyreal Destiny. We are the various representations of your mind... We're your every thought, your every emotion..." Teal said, without much reverence, considering the fact that he was talking to his freaking progenitor.

"So, you guys know that this is all just one big Raven ripoff?" I said, laughing at Teal while leaning against the far wall, away from the main cavalcade of Nyons. I noticed a black and red Nyreal sulking in the corner by himself, with a "Too good for this" grin on his face. His awkward nametag read "Laeryn".

Plaid stood up: "Yes, and I'm the one who knows _all about_ that **wonderful** little fantasy that passed through your mind right before Rainee kissed you."

I faltered, and blushed. "Uh... Aheh! So you're the perverted Nyreal! Get on with this sucker, Teal. I wanna go into REAL sleep before I go off to get more Masamune training tomorrow."

Teal: "As you wish, Sir. Anyway, this man," He coughed as if to correct himself, "This shape here is a silhouette of who you are to become. It's blank now, but the choices you make as you progress through life will color it in and create an entire human being. But, you need all of us colors here to be the man that you have to be. In other words, you need a balance. But more than anything, how you view and how you respond to the changes and events in your life will fill in this silhouette with color."

"So it's basically my Destiny in a set format?"

"Yes, but it's simply a framework, like most fates. It's a template for your soul, but it's not a guideline that has to be followed."

I nodded. "I see."

i _Thunderbolt and lightning - very very frightening me_

_Gallileo, Gallileo,_

_Gallileo, Gallileo,_

_Gallileo Figaro - magnificoooooooo!_ /i 

The rain was still pouring outside of the windows of my house, I heard, and there were a few chimeric thunderbolts that had gone out to play and stir up a little bit of trouble. Maybe hit on some lightning chicks.

Pink and Green took the stage next. Pink spoke first: "Nyreal, Green and I are the intellectual centers of your mind. I dictate the information learned, the thought process, the speech, and all things that occur whilst reading books. And Green here-"

Green: "I like TV! Yes!"

"Green's the one who tells you to place all your stocks into Government bonds." Pink elucidated.

"Ohhhhhhhhhh. I need to strangle you sometime, buddy."

"Fred Fredburger Fred Fredburger..." Green was mesmerized by his own fingers... I can't believe that that moron's still a part of my mind...

"Anyway. Our purpose here isn't very useful at the present time. I'm simply here to tell you that I am your most useful and powerful weapon. Employ my services throughout your life, and we should have no problems."

"But of course. Thank you, Pink. So courteous and intelligent..."

i _I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me..._

_He's just a poor boy from a poor family_

_Spare him his life from this monstrosity!_ /i 

"What's with this song?" I asked as the Blue, Dark Blue, and Black sides of me headed to the pedestal. I remember the Black one distinctly; even then he had forged his own mind by reversing my name into a unique one of his own. Laeryn...

Blue: "Oh, you mean Bohemian Rhapsody? This song is a universal window to the human soul. You can instantly tell the workings of someone's mind by asking them what they believe the meaning of this song is."

Laeryn came up and spoke. His voice was amazingly suave and dark... It reminded me of what I had imagined Satan to sound like. "Us three are here to deal with your self-pity, and your insistance on holding back your true power. It seems to me like you don't have a killer instinct, Nyreal."

I sighed, "You know that's utter crap, Laeryn. I just offed two guys a while ago, and I didn't go emo or shed a single tear over the thing."

Dark Blue: "But I diiiid! That was so sad! I can't see how we were able to actually end a human life!"

Laeryn: "It's easy. All you have to do is stop one or more of their vital functions. Not hard at all, really. Lilim are hauntingly fragile..."

"You're a part of me?" I asked, shocked that my own mind was so jaded. "Oh, and don't call people Lilim. You're not Kaworu Nagisa, and this isn't Evangelion. Besides, when I heard you say that word, it reminded me of how hauntingly YAOI Kaworu was!" I laughed in the face of evil... Yeah. I was cool even as an eight year old.

Laeryn: "How infantile!"

Blue: "Nyreal... I know that you're afraid of your own power... Dark Blue is a testament to that."

Dark Blue: "We can't kill anyone! It's a crime and a sin! You can't simply kill for the fun of it..."

Laeryn: "Ahem"

Dark Blue: "Well, Laeryn will... Anyway! Imagine killing Rainee."

There was a ripple of gasping throughout the room, and a few random "Fuck You!"s.

I asked DB what he meant.

DB: "Well, it's simple... Those men that you killed tonight were someone's devoted fathers, and someone's loving sons. It'll feel to them like the death of Rainee all over again, times two for all those people who were connected to them."

I told him this, "Well... This may seem jaded, but... They were trying to KILL ME. It was either kill or be killed at that point, and I would rather value my own life than the lives of two pathetic NPCs. Besides, you're forgetting what Rainee told us about the Great Light... She said that he gives bodies to the souls of the dead who have lost theirs. Mom said that noone ever really dies; that they just get sent back around; but, she also told me that if you're a very good person, your soul will be taken to Paradise, and you won't have to be reincarnated anymore..."

Blue: "You know, that does bring up an interesting question... Rainee took her body with her when she died. Where is she now, then?"

"Well," I said, my hand grabbing my chin, "She must still be alive! If she has her body, she has to still be sticking around, right?"

Laeryn stood up again, "No, she's dead; Her body stopped functioning. She died, and was then taken away somewhere with her body. It's not our place to know such a thing. But I do know this: Nyreal killed her! He cut off Black Cape's legs, and then kicked them off the throne! The Empyreal Halo attack failed to obliterate his legs, and then the Profound Darkness used them as a tool to kill Rainee."

"No... You're lying to me."

Laeryn: "You know it's true, Nyreal!"

i _Easy come easy go - will you let me go_

_Bismillah! No - we will not let you go - let him go_

_Bismillah! We will not let you go - let him go_

_Bismillah! We will not let you go - let me go_

_Will not let you go - let me go (never)_

_Never let you go - let me go_

_Never let me go - ooo_

_No, no, no, no, no, no, no -_

_Oh mama mia, mama mia, mama mia let me go_ /i 

It felt like I had been hit with a ton of bricks. Why would I kill my mother? It was stupid to think that... Then why was it so true?

"Laeryn! Stop it! Rainee told us about COSMIC DUALITY! She basically told us that she would have died anyways! You're trying to drown me in sorrow... And I'm not going to let myself go that path!"

Laeryn: "It's inevitable," He said, with an eerie greenish higher pitch to his voice, "All Lilim will eventually feel sorrow. They will all inexorably see the preordained nature of their death-driven lives, and lose their weak notions of hope and happiness."

"Heh... I get it now." I took steps forward, and closed the gap between us. I was standing on the heart of the man in question as I stared up at Laeryn, "**YOU'RE** the pathetic one! You gave up life when you started it; you find the hopelessness in hope! You're too weak to live a normal life, so you crave to drag down all life as it's known and enjoyed!"

Laeryn: "Hmm. Happiness is just a crutch used by weak people who cannot support themselves through the emptiness of existance, Nyreal. They hide themselves behind a barrier of false life in order to drift through their surroundings without feeling the cold, dark touch of the true nature of life... I'm sure you remember when you felt it, that cold winter's night. You felt it while playing PSO, as you made your way through the Ruins for the first time... The Profound Darkness had touched you in reality, not only through the game, and you spent the whole night alone, trying to shield yourself from the emptiness and terror that you had discovered at the bottom of this bottomless pit called existance. You surpressed those feelings you had discovered that night. And that's when I was born. The only reason you were able to go on living in your own mind was because you had covered me up and looked away from me, as if I was simply a piece of glass. You're as useless as the rest of them, Nyreal. I'm the only one who can live at the bottom of that hole in life. I'm the only vessel pure enough to swim around in the seas of Noct!"

I spoke to him unshakingly, even though I was terrified, "Heh. You're just a sad little lonely boy, who grew a superiority complex from his own self-imposed isolation," Don't mind the words; Rainee taught me more than Colleges could have. "You're not better than anyone, Laeryn, and you're not living in a void. You know what I think about your self-pity and your darkness? It's simply a cover-up for you're own useless loving apathy! The terror you feel, the emptiness and the pain... That's not the truth of life. Those are feelings that are expressed in extreme emotion... But not normally. Life is fun. It's not eternal suffering."

"I suppose we'll see in Hell, won't we?"

i _Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me_

_for me_

_for meeeeeee!_ /i 

Teal walked back up to the stage. Luminescent bits of mental prism began to reveal themselves in the drab, gray walls of the conference room, I noticed, in long strips, like bad stucco after you put a trowel to it. "So! Nyreal. I have to ask you now, what you think of this song. Of Bohemian Rhapsody, the window to the human soul."

I thought about it a long, long while, and I told him what I thought.

"Well! It's a pretty fun song, actually. It's about a man, who's recounting the facts of his childhood... He puts up a strong front at first, to hide the fact that he's traumatized by his mother's death... Then he realizes that it's alright to feel pain! He argues with his inner spirits, and eventually frees himself from the restraints of society, and passes on to become his own man! That's what the song is about!"

Red, White, and Yellow all stood up and yelled out a frantic and perky, "CONGRATULATIONS!"

i _So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye_

_So you think you can love me and leave me to die_

_Oh baby - can't do this to me baby_

_Just gotta get out - just gotta get right outta here_ /i 

"ACK! WHAT'S HAPPENING TO THE WALLS!" I yelled while running in circles like a headless chicken.

Pink: "Well, it appears that Nyreal has freed himself from the constraints of society and of logic. That's why the room is going all hippy on us."

White: "You should be happy, Nyreal! Walls like this never come down so soon!"

And just like that, I was in a beautiful Garden... The garden of my memories. Rainee and my father were both there. And so were the shadows of my friends to be! Everything was perfectly in order, and it all was wonderful. I'll never be haunted by fear, by doubt... By pain no longer. I have people who love me, and that's all that life's about!

But, hey, this revelation isn't a very big deal... Just another day in my frantic mind, right? I mean, it's so obvious! It doesn't really matter... _C'est la vie_! _Que Sera Sera!_ Whatever happens, happens, right?

I mean, just let it go...

_Anyway the wind blows..._

_---_

Rainee: **_"You're my Shining Star! "_**

Level 4: Like a Holy Ninja

Mint and Hiren and Nyreal: It's unquestionably a fast-paced return to the main plot!


	4. An Introduction for the Unintroduced

Intro for the Unintroduced.

Season 1's Happenings (You're currently reading Season 2):

Once upon a time, there were people; human beings complete with hatred, sorrow, and hubris. They had destroyed their own planet, and, forseeing their doom, began to search for a new planet, with a chunk of hope literally falling from the sky.

MORONS! Haha!

The Humans left their homes in search of power and knowledge, leaving the motherland, Coral, to pursue ever-new dreams on the Planet Ragol. Of course, there can't be a story with protagonists as foolish as average humans, now can there? That's where Red Ring Rico comes into play. Her and Jordan Sye (Or Sye Jordan to those who dislike Japanese-Ordered naming) researched the native animals and life of Ragol. Life was great, and so was the sex. Then something terrible happened.

And that, kiddies, is when our story begins!

There was an explosion in the Central Dome, the first colony of Ragol. During the explosion, which was caused by Dark Falz, the God of Destruction and a pawn of the Profound Darkness, Rico managed to shield herself from the horrendous explosion, but Sye died in the blast. In sorrow and anger, Rico began her quest to destroy that which destroyed her comrades. But this isn't about Rico. It's about Sye. Soon after Rico left on her mission, Sye was revived by a force he identified to be the Great Light. Sye didn't waste this chance, and soon went after Rico.

He didn't know that the ship carrying the main load of those migrating to the new world, Ragol, had arrived when the explosion had occured.

On Sye's way, he met Nyreal, who was a raw-recruit Force fresh out of, as he said, Ninja Magic school. His team, the Ranger

and Force and Hunter, Light and Moonlight and Abyss respectively, were also out with Nyreal for the task of surveying the new planet for any dangers. Eventually, they met an Android who was foiled in her attempt to absorb the consciousness of Pioneer 2 into her own, as an attempt to create a vague soul. Sye sacrificed his life once again, and disappeared completely.

Six years passed, and eventually Sye had found his way into a new body, and was lured into a temple. This temple was to be used as a place for the madman Zio to perform a rite. Sye, having no memory of his past self, helped Zio perform the right using his connection to the Great Light through his various resurrections. Zio absorbed the unlimited powers of the Great Light during this time, and became as a God. Sye was nearly killed in the resulting battle and explosion. You see, a team of Hunters was dispatched from Pioneer 2 to investigate strange energy readings in a temple. Two of the defeated, Sage and Labyrinth, marvelled at the power of the DemiGod, who referred to himself as Zionus after the Right. They survived, and it led to his eventual undoing. Sye, who was alive, and had recovered his memory in the temporary connection to No-Space (the dimension of souls, and of Light and Darkness), gathered his old companions and set about destroying him on their own.

Eventually, Zionus overthrew the government of P2, and controlled all things; he constantly poisoned the airwaves with his message of salvation and purpose to those who followed him. Labyrinth created a Resistance, and gathered all able Hunters to his cause. War raged on. Nyreal and company joined the Resistance, and assisted greatly.

Eriror, Zionus's right hand man, was a constant rival of Nyreal, and near the end of the struggle between Zionus and The Resistance, shattered Nyreal's weapon, the Masamune. Nyreal's comerades brought him materials to fix it, and that forged his current weapon, Shoun Lumiere, the sword of wind and light.

Light, Nyreal's former Hunting partner and love interest, met with Nyreal on the night before The Resistance's final offensive against Zionus and bid goodbye in her own way. She had left to fight Zionus, and Nyreal followed. As it turned out, Light was the Right Hand of God, and the earthly agent of all that was holy. She fought Zionus to return the powers of the Great Light, and managed to mortally wound Zionus, though he eventually killed her after a long struggle.

Nyreal entered Zionus' Citadel as an advance agent, and killed Eriror with his new blade. Then, with the help Resistance fighters such as X Launcher (a legendary hunter) and Jonas Sage (A telepath who was a main mastermind behind the defeat), Nyreal and company defeated Zionus, and restored the Great Light to his proper place.

Nyreal eventually headed back to the Great Light's temple, and destroyed his inner darkness, Laeryn, to revive Light, and bring her back to life.

One more year passed, and then our new story began.

---

Terms Dictionary:

Hunter: One who uses swords to fight his enemies. (Individuals who also survey and hunt monsters on Ragol are alos generally referrred to as "Hunters")

Ranger: One who uses ranged weapons to kill from above, beyond, or afar.

Force: One who takes hold of the powers of the Arcane to destroy all who opposes him.

Human: I wonder.

Newmen: A hybrid created by mankind to use as their vessel, a "Step Two" for evolution. Were abandoned when their random lifespans were discovered. A mixture of Human and Musk Cat DNA, they have higher intelligence than the average human, and have feline ears.

Androids: Robots created by Humans to act as their servants. Eventually gained self-awareness, then autonomy.

Foie: A fire-based attack.

Barta: An ice-based attack.

Zonde: A lightning-based attack.

Resta: Heals an ally's wounds.

Reverser: Revives a knocked-out ally.

Megid: A ball of darkness. Can kill in one hit.

Grants: An attack made of pure light.

Coral City: The first and largest city of Ragol.

Coral: The planet from whence the Humans originally came from.

---

b Name: /b Nyreal Destiny

b Occupation: /b : Meep.

b Class: /b In all honesty, he should be a ninja. His original classification of FOmar stands, though. He was trained in Arcanjutsu, which is an amalgamation of Ninjitsu, Alchemy, and Elemental Magic.

b Weapons: /b Shouin Lumiere, a blade which was created from Levitating Rocks and Tornado Stones, along with the remnants of the fabled Masamune. Nyreal's companions searched out these materials while he was recovering from a fight with Eriror, to help repair his shattered Masamune. Ever since, he has been able to fly and control the gaseous composition of wind.

b Other Equipment: /b Radical Goodspeed Cloak, Ever-Agility Jeans, Random Smartass Shirt, Technical Arcanum. The Radical Cloak actually enhances his natural speed, and allows freedom of movement. The Cloak is, however, ugly, so he usually only wears it during battles. His jeans allow even more freedom of movement, and allow him to evade attacks with relative ease. The Random Shirt changes slogans from the vulgar to the insane and hilarious, distracting his enemies somewhat.

b Special Abilities: /b Flirting, Snappy Comebacks, Acrobatics, Drunken Fist.

b Special Attacks: /b Dream Light Revolution, an attack where he combines the Holy Powers of Shouin Lumiere with the pure force of Light's World Revolution attack. Rouzeki, an attack which summons dozens of golden or green light familiars to attack and annoy the enemy, and eventually propel Nyreal and Shouin Lumiere through a target. And now for the ultimate, Grand Dream, an attack which splits Nyreal into four versions of his own personality that attack the enemy, finishing by attacking with a Slash-esque wind attack, and then merging with an X-Shaped Rouzeki.

b Physical Description: /b Long, Messy, Violet-Colored Hair, and green eyes the color of moss. His build is tall and lithe, which is good, considering that one good attack can nearly take him out.

b Personality: /b Fun, Hyperactive, and a world-renowned smartass. His demeanor may seem easy to defeat, but he doesn't have to go emo to kick some ass, now does he? The only way to make him mad would be to hurt any of his friends, but you wouldn't be around long enough to enjoy it. Still, he's always up for a nice round of Vodka. Or a hot girl. Hides from Light

b Ideal Woman: /b Light.

b Food: /b Anything Thai, Tempura, Ice Cream, Oreos, Smoothies, Frappuccinos, SHRIMP.

b Theme Song: /b Logos Naki World from i _Hellsing_ /i , Ask DNA by Yoko Kanno, The Genocide Song from i _Trigun_ /i . And of course Bohemian Rhapsody of Queen fame, though he dislikes all parts but the Operatic Overture.

b Other: /b His alias is Valentinez Alkalinella Xifak Sicidaboherez Gumbigobilla Blue Stradivari Talentrent Pierre Andri Charton-Haymoss Ivanovicci Baldeus George Doitzel Kaiser III.

Bios on his Grand Dream personalities to follow

b Name: /b Light Ryse

b Occupation: /b : The Right Hand of the Great Light.

b Class: /b The Earthly Incarnation of Seraphic Vivacity. RAmarl for the stupid.

b Weapons: /b Ruby Bullet and Heaven's Punisher, used as Mechguns. In her Astral Form, these weapons can be metamorphosed in any form from a Whip to a Bazooka.

b Other Equipment: /b Nyreal's Purple Scarf, which she never takes off.

b Special Abilities: /b Keeping Nyreal to herself, Burp Champion, Ice Cream Chugging.

b Special Attacks: /b World Revolution, where her Astral Form absorbs the kinetic energy from a spinning planet, and pushes it all through the Holy boosters of her own body and guns, creating a forest-wiping beam of white energy. Also, she can convert to the aformentioned Astral Form where her connection to the Great Light is unlocked and her powers are amplified to their maximum.

In her Astral Form, Nyreal's scarf floats around as if it were on drugs, and her dark eyes lose all distinction between her iris and pupils, and become black hole-colored. Her hair goes from yellow-gold, to platinum blonde, and her skin looks lily white. More white than usual. The full fury of holy energy is unleashed. She can fly at will, and shoot Grants beams straight from her guns.

b Physical Description: /b Long blonde hair, jet black eyes, voluptuous, average female height.

b Personality: /b Fun-loving, enthusiastic, and obsessive over rares and Nyreal. Of course, she's not the submissive type. Make her mad and she'll hit you with a Frying Pan. When needed, she acts as the serious duality to Nyreal's carefree nature.

b Ideal Man: /b Nyreal.

b Food: /b Ice Cream. Strawberries. Chocolate. Chocolate-Covered Nyreal.

b Theme Song: /b Shine by Mr. Big, Sympathy for the Devil by Rolling Stones, Ode to Joy by Beethoven, World Revolution from Chrono Trigger.

b Other: /b The Great Light affectionately refers to her as his "Big Sister." Which is a big WTF Flag. Also, she enjoys to test the stress of various objects with Nyreal. During testing, however, she's the one tying him to tables. Other times, well... Relationships need to be balanced, don't they?

b Name: /b Mint Yum.

b Occupation: /b Gum Aficianado, and potential Hugh Hefner.

b Class: /b HUnewm, one of a series of elementally focused Newmen.

b Weapons: /b Black King Bar, and Shiva Edge, a sword which is as icy as Mint himself.

b Other Equipment: /b AHEM. Mint points downward

b Special Abilities: /b The ability to manipulate ice and air temperature (thusly turning anything to ice) with his adept Newman technique powers.

b Special Attacks: /b "I'm a walking special! I don't need to LABEL anything."

b Physical Description: /b Tall, muscular, with a blue ponytail falling down the middle of his back.

b Personality: /b Now, he's getting a tattoo, yeah, he's gettin' ink done

He asked for a 13, but they drew a 31

Friends say he's trying too hard and he's not quite hip

But in his own mind, he's the, he's the dopest trip

b Ideal Woman: /b "Hmm... I don't discriminate. All girls all at once! That's fine with me!"

b Food: /b Gum of all kinds, preferably Minty Stuff.

b Theme Song: /b Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) by Offspring.

b Other: /b Knock on, knock on, Knock on the sky! You keep on Knockin' better ask yourself why!

b Name: /b Sye Jordan.

b Occupation: /b ... Sye Jordan.

b Class: /b FOnewm, with the token bubblebutt.

b Weapons: /b Double Elysion, one his own copy, and the other his lost love's copy.

b Other Equipment: /b What? He's a FOnewm. Barehanded Tech Casting FTW.

b Special Abilities: /b He's level 200 twice over. Sye's simply uber.

b Special Attacks: /b After reaching the pinaccle of Force-y success twice over, he's developed his own series of techniques, the ParfaitGeneration. (In respectful mockery, Nyreal created the Milkshake Generation of techniques)

b Physical Description: /b Well, that depends. He switches from his first-life form (27) to his Second-Life form (10) at will, though his true chronological age is around 35. Anyway, Blue Eyes, Spiky Pink Hair, and a freaking HUGE butt.

b Personality: /b The only sane person in the outfit. Intelligent, calm, yet rather lazy as far as research and planning goes.

b Ideal Woman: /b Rico. And the Guild Counter lady.

b Food: /b Twinkies, Ding Dongs, and other foods of the creamy nature. Ironically, he claims to hate anything that has to do with a Parfait, insisting that his technique series was instead based on the French word for "perfect".

b Theme Song: /b She Blinded Me With Science by Thomas Dolby, Rewrite by ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, and (lol) Dance Dance by Fall Out Boy. Sye Teh Em0zors lololol

b Other: /b Well... He has a dark side, and a penchant for making up odd techniques in strange languages on the spot, most of which fit into no particular category of order.

b Name: /b Cinnamon Ryonsau Yum (Prefers Hiren Faust)

b Occupation: /b Pyromaniac

b Class: /b HUnewm, the brother and counterpoint of Mint, the Fire in a set of Five Techniques.

b Weapons: /b A cross around his neck, which, when exposed to flame, becomes a flaming Zanbato, which is a deadly instrument of immolation in his skilled hands.

b Other Equipment: /b None, except maybe Holy Water, which is actually the purest form of all things flammable distilled into one vial of pure city-destroying explosive.

b Special Abilities: /b Flame manipulation, like Mint.

b Special Attacks: /b None.

b Physical Description: /b Tall, dark, and creepy. Has long black hair, and wears a bright red clergyman's outfit, with the addition of a red pimp hat and a long red sport coat.

b Personality: /b A psychotic maniac. Tends to go on crusades to remove love from the world.

b Ideal Woman: /b He's priestly. Celibate.

b Food: /b Anything _a flambe_.

b Theme Song: /b Salva Nos from _Noir_, Angeli Domini by Datura, Vater Unser from _Hellsing_.

b Other: /b His middle name means Lost Love, which may be a hint to a forlorn past...

b Name: /b Moonlight Seto

b Occupation: /b Emo.

b Class: /b FOnewearl

b Weapons: /b Sigh of a God, Technical Crozier, and Prophets of Motav.

b Other Equipment: /b None.

b Special Abilities: /b None.

b Special Attacks: /b None.

b Physical Description: /b Short, with blue eyes and long green hair. She purports to be a knockout, but is really only average-looking.

b Personality: /b An attention whore, who stops at nothing to be the center of the universe.

b Ideal Man/Woman: /b Anyone that will make her look good. Also a notable bisexual.

b Food: /b Anorexic, but does pop Centrum like there's no tomorrow, for the simple basic vitamins.

b Theme Song: /b Oh, god... Norah Jones, Britney Spears, and Jessica Simpson. All ancient CDs, yes.

b Other: /b She seems to have gone through some trauma as a child, which might just make her attention-grabbing justified in a psychological sense, though she has never spoken to anyone about her past...

Other characters (Whose bios I'm too lazy to write, though they're some of the best):

Laeryn Moira

Arcadia Funaho

Zaziel Naminara

Abyss Abaddon.

Yes! I hope that this Fourth-Wall Introduction has helped you sort your way through the complicated universe of Cosmic Waltz! Enjoy the next chapters!


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